How to Fly
by Artisan of the Written Word
Summary: Tai and Sora realize that there is something special has formed between them, but will personal emotions, misunderstandings, and a figure from the past destroy it all? Please R & R. These were my very first fanfics.
1. How to Fly Part One

How to Fly  
  
by The Writer  
  
Disclaimer: I'm poor, okay. I don't own anything except for this computer, so leave me alone you vultures. Now then, this is a tai ora fic, so please tell me what you think. This is my first fanfic, it probably sucks, but send me your comments anyway at dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com Here goes nothing. Oh, by the way. I have some lyrics from the song "NEXT YEAR" by the Foo Fighters, so please don't sue me for copyright laws. I'm just quoting the song. The lyrics are set off in asterisks. I may have gotten some of the lyrics mixed up since I don't have the CD (I'm poor, remember?) So just tell me if I did and I'll remember that if I use them again.  
  
Sora looked up at the hazy sky and then back down to her watch. It's digital display read 2:15, but Tai was supposed to meet her at 1:30.   
"Why can't he ever tell time?" she wondered to herself, but realized that she could wait for him forever. She hadn't told him that she loved him, all though she had been trying to tell him for years. This secret was so deep, however, that she really never admitted it to herself, even though she knew all along deep inside. She dribbled the soccer ball at her feet. They were supposed to play a game of one on one, but for some reason he hadn't shown up. "I wonder if something is wrong." She decided to wait another fifteen minutes. It had been forever since she had played soccer since she was a tennis player now, but she thought Tai could give her a good reminder on how to play. She patiently sat down on the grass and began to watch the minutes tick by.  
  
  
Tai paced his bedroom floor continuously. Kari heard his cycle of never-ending footsteps and decided to check on him.   
"You okay, Tai?" she asked worriedly. Tai never looked up. He was mouthing something to himself and acted like he hadn't heard her. She thought for a second. What could be wrong with him? Then it hit her. "You worried about Sora?" she asked. Tai looked up sharply to see Kari peering at him from the doorway.   
"Should I be? Is something wrong with her?" he asked in a scared tone. Kari laughed.   
"Why don't you just ask her out and get it over with. It's obvious that's what you are thinking about," she scolded. Tai blushed furiously.  
"How would you know? Can you read my mind?" he asked, infuriated. He sat down on his bed waiting for her answer. He was wearing khaki pants and a green shirt that Sora had gotten him for Christmas last year.  
"No, but when you whisper her name in your sleep, and you are pacing the floor continuously, and you are wearing the shirt that she got you for Christmas almost everyday, it kind of hints at people that she's on your mind," she said, amused that Tai hadn't noticed the little things that he was letting slip by. Tai put his face in his hands.   
"Fine, you got me. No use denying it any longer," he said as he ran his hands through the mop of hair that sat on his head. Kari stopped leaning against the doorway and walked over to her brother.   
"Just ask her out, you chicken. What's the worst that could happen?"   
"I could lose her forever," he answered sharply. Kari smiled.  
"With the friendship you two have? Are you kidding?" she asked. Tai looked up at her to smile, but suddenly a look of horror covered his face.  
"Oh my God! Sora! I forgot all about her!" he screamed. "Bye, Kari! I've got to go!" He pushed her aside and ran down the hall toward the door.   
"Be careful, Tai!" Kari yelled after her brother, but he was already out the door. She walked out the bedroom door and stopped.  
"Now what am I going to do?" she asked herself aloud. She thought about calling T.K., but then quickly dismissed the idea. Kari shook her head and laughed. "Man, maybe I need to take my own advice and just ask him out," she scolded herself playfully.   
  
  
Sora looked at her watch again. It was 2:30. Sadly, she got up off the grass that covered the soccer field and started to walk away.   
"I wonder what happened. Knowing him, he probably forgot," she told herself aloud. She looked around one last time to make sure that she hadn't overlooked him. Tai was no where in sight. Sora sighed heavily and began walking toward the north end of the field which was the shortest way to get home. She suddenly heard someone scream her name. She turned around, hopeful that it was Tai. She saw a figure running toward her waving frantically. "TAI!" she yelled to him. She blushed slightly when she saw he was wearing the shirt she had given him. Tai smiled gratefully. He ran down the bleacher steps as fast as he could. He was breathing hard from all his running, but quickly tried to give the appearance that he hadn't been running at all. "Where the hell have you been?" she asked angrily. Tai's smile disappeared quickly.  
"I was a little bit preoccupied, that's all," he whispered. Sora smiled.  
"Well, as long as you're here, I might as well beat you at a game of soccer," she laughed. Tai smirked.  
"You wish, Loser," he said as he quickly stole the soccer ball from her hands. He accidently brushed her hand as he took the ball from her, making shivers run up and down his spine. Tai began to blush. Sora looked worried.  
"Are you okay, Tai?" she asked. Tai shrugged.  
"Oh, I'm fine. Just a chill, that's all," he said nervously. Sora lifted an eyebrow.   
"Um, it's eighty degrees out here," she informed him suspiciously. Tai laughed.  
"I'm just weird that's all. Are we going to stand here chit-chatting or are you going to let me kill you in a game of soccer?" he asked. Sora stole the ball back from his hands and dropped it to the ground, immediately dribbling it.  
"Whatever makes you sleep at night!" she said as she ran down the field with the soccer ball. Tai laughed.  
"You're dead!" he yelled after her. He chased her down the field and they began to play the best game of soccer that they had ever played between them.  
  
  
When they were finished, Tai's khakis were grass green. Sora laughed at him. She had been quite upset when he had beat her 20-13, but she was out of practice.  
"You may have won the game, but I bet you'll still get your butt kicked at home," she giggled. Tai looked down at his grass stained pants and shrieked like a girl.  
"My mom will kill me!" he yelled. Sora continued laughing. She looked at her watch.  
"Well, here's what we'll do. It's only 4:30. We'll go get something to eat and then you can come to my apartment and we'll wash your pants. I'll call Kari and ask her to bring an extra pair over. How will that be?" Tai gasped slightly at the mere mentioning of him taking off his pants anywhere near Sora. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. Tai tried to say something, but his mind just flat-lined. Sora sensed what he was so apprehensive about and blushed madly.  
"Sorry, Tai. Well, I guess you can just go home and then wash them there," she whispered shamefully. Tai cleared his throat and swallowed.  
"Oh, no... That's okay, Sora. I can go over to your place, I bet," he answered finally. He blushed a deep crimson. Sora smiled, but wondered what she was getting herself into.   
"He's just your best friend, Sora. Chill out," she thought, but something was counteracting that thought. Something told her that if he did come over to her house, something would happen. Tai felt the same way, but he wanted it to happen. He had to tell her his feelings some day. Why not now?  
"Well, let's go get something to eat," Tai said, quickly changing the subject. They started toward the north end of the field.  
"Pizza sound good?" Sora asked.  
"You know it," Tai answered. He pushed her ahead of him. "Walk the plank, girly," he said in a horrible pirate accent. Sora laughed.   
"Well, I know that your sense of humor hasn't changed," she said walking slowly. Tai ran up beside her.  
"Who said I had changed at all?" he asked defensively. They may be seventeen now, but they hadn't actually changed from what they used to be. Sora put her hands up.  
"Don't be so defensive, Tai. You have changed though," she said thoughtfully. Tai seemed confused.  
"Name one thing that has changed," he commanded. Sora sighed, apparently thinking.  
"It's not one specific thing, You just seem different. You are more caring and understanding. You are also more truthful. I guess you are a better person," she said, but was inwardly kicking herself for just telling him all that. Tai seemed pleased.  
"The way you were talking, I thought I was a worse person," he said, seemingly surprised. Sora shook her head.  
"No way. I don't think you could get any worse," she said playfully and started running. Tai started to chase after you.  
"I'll get you yet, Sora!" he screamed after her. They chased each other all the way to the pizza place.  
  
  
Tai and Sora laughed as they headed out the pizza place's doors. They started walking fast at first, but their pace gradually slowed. There was an awkward silence between them. Tai decided to take the initiative.   
"Uh, Sora?" he said quietly. Sora had been gazing at the clouds that floated on the blue sea above them.  
"Yeah?" she asked, not really listening to him. He felt this overwhelming feeling come over him. In that moment, he could see, hear, and feel everything around them. He felt the sudden breeze of a car as it rushed by. He could see Sora's beauty as if she was a goddess. She was his Aphrodite. She was his picture of perfection. She was his salvation. She was his heart. At that moment, he could hear her heart beating. As if it was magic. As if she was speaking in some kind of language that only he could understand.  
"Aphrodite," he whispered suddenly. He instantly became embarrassed and the moment that had been so wonderful to him passed just as quickly as it come.  
"What?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. Tai's mind began to reel for answers.   
"Oh, I was just talking to myself." He smiled his best. Sora smiled back.  
"You won't believe it, but I thought you said 'Aphrodite' or something. Weird, huh?" she said, laughing slightly. Tai laughed with her. He smiled widely at the harmonic sound of their voices together.  
"Definitely," he said. Tai's smile immediately disappeared. Sora wondered what was wrong with him. She saw him frown and decided that she needed to change the subject quickly.  
"Hey, look up there, Tai," she said suddenly, pointing to a flock of birds that was flying overhead. "They are so beautiful," she whispered. Suddenly, the same feeling that had washed over Tai washed over Sora's body. She could hear the air rushing over the birds' wings above her. She could see the birds' flying formation perfectly, as if it was explained to her. Suddenly chills ran up and down her spine. Sora could feel someone watching her, as if undressing her with their eyes or trying to pry into her very soul. She found that she was able to look at Tai without the moment leaving her. She saw him staring at her with a dreamy smile on his face. At that moment, Sora could not only hear his heart beating, but she could also feel it, just as if their hearts were one, but she knew that they had never done the act that would have given her the ability to feel this. It was if they had been joined in soul before they were even born. Sora smiled at him, but realized that she needed to snap out of it quickly. She drew in a shuddered breath and the moment was gone. Tai's smile turned into a frown of disappointment. He saw his beloved's face turn a crimson that matched her eyes. Tai quickly tried to change the subject.  
"Hey, I'll race you to your place!" he said, already starting to run. Sora smiled, grateful that Tai's understanding for her was deep enough that he knew how to get her out the most embarrassing moments of her life.   
"DREAM ON, TAICHI KAMIYA!" she screamed as a battle cry and easily ran ahead of him.   
"I'll beat you yet, Sora Takenouchi!" he screamed back at her. They chased each other like little children all the way to Sora's apartment.  
  
  
"Hey, Mom! Tai needs to get his pants washed. Don't worry I'm calling Kari to bring another pair to him," Sora called to her mother as they burst in the door. No answer.  
"I guess she's not here, Sora," Tai said. Sora smiled nervously, trying not to show her concern.  
"I guess not," Sora replied flatly. Tai sensed her nervousness.   
"I'll call Kari. That way it won't seem so suspicious," he said soothingly. Sora nodded.  
"You know where the phone is," she said solemnly. Tai nervously maneuvered around her to get to the phone that rested on Sora's counter. He quickly dialed his number and put the phone up to his ear.  
"Hello?" Kari's voice asked.  
"Hey, sis. Mom and Dad not home yet?" he asked. Kari shook her head like Tai could see her through the phone.  
"No, not yet. What's wrong?"  
"Oh, nothing. Hey, would you mind bringing me an extra pair of pants? I got grass stains on mine and I don't want Mom to kill me."  
"Okay, sure, but how are you going to keep the ones you have on from Mom?"  
"I'm at Sora's apartment. She's going to let me wash them here and then I'll come home."  
"You're at Sora's?" Kari exclaimed. Tai sighed.  
"Nothing's going to happen."  
"But you want something to happen."  
"No, I don't want to make her uncomfortable," Tai whispered, glancing at Sora in her living room. She was flipping stations on her television.  
"Sure, whatever. I'll be over in about fifteen minutes."  
"Okay. Thanks, Kari. I owe you one." He hung up the phone. He was at Sora's house, but he had meant what he said. He would rather stab a knife into his heart than to harm a hair on her head. "Uh, she said she'd be over in about fifteen minutes." Sora looked behind her at Tai.  
"Okay. We'll wait until she gets here before we wash them."  
"I thought I could go ahead and wash them now so you could see me in my underwear." Sora's eyes widened in surprise. She whirled her whole body around to face him. Tai started laughing uncontrollably.  
"Damn, girl. Take a joke!" he laughed hysterically. Sora's facial expression lightened.  
"Ha... Ha.... Ha...." she said flatly. Tai finally stopped laughing.  
"I'm sorry, but you had to see your face. What a classic," he said, still trying to hold back his laughter. Sora turned back around to look at her TV.  
"There really isn't anything on, but I could find an old movie," she offered. Tai nodded.  
"Sounds good. What did ya have in mind?" he asked. Sora walked over to the stand the TV was sitting on.  
"I don't know. Come over here and help me," she commanded. Tai did so immediately. Anything to get close to her.  
  
DING DONG  
"That must be Kari. I'll get it," Sora said as she jumped up from the floor. Tai was still looking for a movie to watch. She looked through the peep hole and saw Kari standing there with a sack in her hand.  
"Yep, it's her," Sora thought. She opened the door.  
"Hey Sora!" Kari said when she saw her. "It looks like you need to change clothes, too. You look like someone wiped the field with you." Tai smirked.  
"I did," he said. Sora rolled her eyes melodramatically.  
"Come in," she said to Kari. Tai's sister stepped in to see her brother.   
"Man, you are a mess. Next time, don't wear your favorite khakis, stupid," Kari teased. Tai playfully pushed his sister.   
"Are those mine?" he asked, pointing at the sack in her hand. Kari nodded.  
"Here. I need to get back to the apartment. Someone's got to cover for you while you're gone. You want me to say you're with Matt?" she asked. Tai nodded.  
"Go ahead. Tell them that I'm out on the town though. I don't want them to try to call me." Kari nodded.  
"Okay. Well, I gotta go. Nice to see you, Sora."  
"Ditto. Be careful," Sora told her. Kari waved good bye and headed out the door. Tai and Sora were alone again.  
"What do we do now?" Tai asked, but he knew he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted.  
"Well, you can change into those clean pants and give me those you are wearing when you change. I'll put them in the washing machine."  
"Okay. I'll be right back," Tai said as he ran to her bathroom. Sora sighed heavily.   
"God, please don't let me fall in love with him. I don't want us to lose each other," she said under her breath. Little did she know that Tai's keen ears heard her. He frowned slightly as he took off his old pants and put on his clean ones.   
"God, please let us fall in love together. I want us to be together," Tai prayed mentally. He finally changed his pants, but he noticed that his shirt had grass stains on it, too. He took it off, which revealed his muscular frame, and folded it and put it on top of his pants in a neat pile. He hoped that he wouldn't freak her out. He opened the bathroom door to see Sora waiting for him. She couldn't help it as her mouth dropped open. "My shirt had stains on it, too. I was wondering if you could wash it, too. Since it is my favorite shirt," he said, smiling. She gathered all her will power and closed her mouth. Sora couldn't make her eyes look away from his muscular chest. She finally just closed them and held out her hands.  
"Okay, whatever," she said, blushing madly. Tai frowned.  
"If you want me to put the shirt back on-"  
"NO! I mean, no, that's alright," Sora whispered. Tai put his clothes on her outstretched hands.  
"I'll go find something for us to watch, okay?"   
"Okay, go ahead," she said. She rushed to put the clothes in the washing machine. "Chill out," she kept telling herself, but she couldn't get over how much more he had matured. Now, he seemed like a man, not a boy like he had always been. After she started the machine and came back to the living room, she saw Tai sitting on the couch. He was wearing his green cargo pants. "Uh, Tai, I'm going to go change, too," she said, barely able to make it audible.  
"Sure, go ahead. It's your house, Sora," he replied. He was switching channels, trying to find the one to turn on the VCR. Sora rushed to her room and quickly changed into a bit more appealing attire. She put on her best jeans and a tighter shirt from her closet. She rushed back down. Tai looked at her, dumbfounded.  
"I didn't know I wasn't supposed to wear a tux, Sora," he joked. She laughed.  
"Well, actually, you were supposed to wear a shirt, but I guess a Casanova like you can get away with anything," she retorted childishly. Tai laughed.   
"Have a seat. I won't bite," he said, patting the cushion beside him. She plopped down beside him and they began to flip through the channels on the TV, trying to find something to watch.  
  
  
The washing machine stopped abruptly. Tai and Sora were watching some scary movie that was actually one of the scarier ones which had them both on the edge of their seats. The lights were out, the perfect mood for something they might have been willing to do, but neither one of them wanted to violate the other.  
"Is your mom ever coming home?" Tai asked. Sora shrugged.  
"I have no idea. She'll probably come home soon. Maybe you should go. Your pants are washed," she said, wishing that the night wasn't over yet. Tai's shoulders slumped.   
"Well, alright. I can dry them at home. Wait, what about my shirt? It gets kind of cold at night, you know." Sora sighed.   
"I guess you could stay a while longer. It's only 6 o'clock. It'll take at least an hour to dry your clothes, though." Tai raised an eyebrow.  
"I didn't realize that I was in any rush. Plus, I wanted to finish this movie. It's pretty good," he admitted. Sora sighed.  
"Alright, alright. I'll go put them in the drier," she finally agreed. Tai grinned at her. As she walked away, he wondered if he was too obvious that he wanted to stay.  
  
  
The drier had gone off a long time ago, but the two were trying to finish their movie. As the credits started to roll, Sora and Tai got up off the couch and stretched.  
"Who would of thought that the girl did it," Sora said. Tai smirked.  
"Well, if every girl I knew was like you, we'd all be dead," he teased. Sora punched lightly in the shoulder. Her eyes fell on his chest again. There was some primal urge within her that made her want to touch him, but she fought it with all her might.  
"Go put on your shirt, Tai," she said, trying to get him out of her eyesight so she wouldn't stare.   
"Yes, Mother," he said in a small child's voice. Sora stuck her tongue out at him playfully. He did the same and started for the drier upstairs. He slipped on his shirt when he got there and brought his pants down with him.  
"Are they dry?" Sora asked.  
"Just a little damp. I'll tell my mom that I went through the sprinkler at the park," he said, grinning wildly. Sora grinned back.   
"Hey, I'll walk with you to your place, Tai. It'll be okay because it's 7:30 and your mom wouldn't be able to see me," she offered. Tai seemed to ponder this. This might be his chance to win her heart. Little did he know that he had a long time ago.  
"Sure, whatever. Shall we go?" Tai asked. Sora nodded.  
"Let's," and out the door they went.  
  
  
Sora and Tai walked side by side on the sidewalk. The street lamps hadn't come on yet, so their view of the sunset wasn't obstructed by bright lights. Sora saw a bird fly over head. She sighed deeply with a smile on her face.  
"Look, Tai. Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, pointing to the bird. Tai looked at the bird and then at Sora's upturned face.  
"Yeah. Angelic, even," he said. His breath was almost swept way by her amazing beauty. Her red hair was as short as it had been in the digital world, but it was seemingly more beautiful every day. Her one-of-a-kind crimson eyes made him want to stare into them all day. Her body. He loved her figure. He had the same primal urge that made him want to take her and make her his. He wanted her so badly, but just as Sora did, he fought it with all the will in his body. But more than anything, he wanted her for whom she was. The most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. The girl that all the other people had looked over since she was the tomboy in school. Now, she was his angel. The problem was that he was scared that she would reject him if she knew how he really felt. He was taller than her, but he had always felt less than adequate to her. Like if he died, her beauty would only grow. She noticed that he was staring at her, but she decided to ask him why. She continued to watch the bird soar higher and higher.   
"Oh, God, Tai." Tai looked worried.  
"What's wrong, Sora?" he asked in an upset tone. Sora wasn't upset. She was smiling. The red light from the sunset seemed to make her face glow with beauty. He smiled dreamily.   
"I wish I could fly," she whispered, looking from the sky to Tai's dark brown eyes. She locked her crimson irises on his brown ones. Tai felt the strength leave his body through her gaze, but he gathered his courage and took the step that he had wanted to take for so long. He sighed heavily and smiled that famous cockeyed smile of his, but then wiped it from his face. He said the thing that opened the door that he had been intent on opening for so long.  
"I can make you fly," he whispered back. Sora's eyes seemed to brighten.  
"Tai, I don't know-"  
"Fly with me, Sora. You want to fly with me. You want to fly with the birds. You want to fly. I can help you, but you have to help me," he whispered. Sora smiled. Suddenly, Tai thrust his mouth forward and connected with hers in a passionate kiss of fire.   
*Into the sky we fly*   
Sora and Tai felt that feeling wash over them again. Yet again they could feel, see, and hear everything around them.  
*There I can keep by your side*  
They could feel their heartbeats become synchronized. Their souls had become in time with each other.  
*Watching the whole world riot and hiding out*  
The ground seemed to disappear from under their feet. They were flying together. Tai had kept his word. He had helped her fly.  
*I'll be coming home next year*  
Tai never wanted to come down. He wanted to stay with her. He wanted to stay with Sora in the sky. He didn't want to come down.  
*Into the sun we climb*  
Still locked in a kiss, they felt an intense heat rush over their bodies. It was horrifying, yet comforting.  
*Climbing our wings will burn white*  
Tai broke the kiss, but Sora moaned for him to kiss her again.  
"Let me carry you, Sora. Soar on my wings. Don't leave me. Use my wings to fly," he whispered. Sora wasn't sure what he meant. He rejoined their kiss. Fire blazed over her body.  
*Everyone strapped in tight, we'll ride it out*  
Sora could see stars and clouds. She could see the moon smiling at her from the sky. She could feel Tai with her.   
*I'll be coming home next year*  
Sora never wanted to come down. She loved Tai. She could feel it. It was always there. She just had to find it.  
*Come on, get on, get on*  
He could feel wings coming out of his back. Sora was with him, but he couldn't see her. It was their souls flying, he realized, not them physically.  
*Take it 'til life runs out*  
Tai never wanted to let her go, but he needed to. Not yet, though. He needed her.  
*No one can find us now*  
Sora knew the world they were in was theirs. This was the place that they had created for each other in their hearts.  
*Living with our heads underground*  
She led Tai into a nose dive for the ground underneath them. Suddenly, it changed from solid ground to an ocean underneath them. They dove in head first. With their combined strength, they lifted their wings and swam out of the water at full speed.  
*Into the night we fly*  
Tai flew her high into the sky. He could feel Sora's fear within him.  
*Lighting the way we glide by*  
He tried to give her hope by lighting their way. He made the wings they flew on leave a trail of stars as a beacon of hope.  
*Catch me if I get to high, if I come down*  
Tai could feel Sora slipping from his grip. He gathered all the courage in his soul and held on tight. He would never let her go.  
*I'll be coming home next year*  
Sora felt so safe in Tai's grasp. She held onto his soul with all the might in her arms.  
*Say goodbye now, say goodbye now. Say goodbye now, say goodbye now*  
Sora broke the kiss. Leaving them both breathless.  
*I'll be coming home next year*  
"I love you, Sora. I always have and I always will."  
*I'll be coming home next year*  
"I love you too, Tai."  
*Everything's alright up here, if I come down*  
"But I can't be with you."  
"Why!?! Everything is right. We'll never lose each other!"  
*I'll be coming home next year*  
"I can't Tai. I just can't." She broke the stare that had lasted so long between them and ran all the way back to her apartment. Tai's eyes began to water.  
"You were going to fly with me, Sora," he whispered. He slowly turned around and walked the rest of the way home with a broken heart.  
  
Why did Sora run from him? OKAY, HERE'S THE DEAL. If you want me to write the next part of this story, email me your comments and stuff. Even if it's bad. IF I don't get a response at all, there will be no more fanfics on this subject and the rest of this story is up to your imaginations Time is not a luxury, so it'll take me a while longer to get it on, but I will if it's wanted. Until the possible next time, adios!  



	2. How to Fly Part Two

HOW TO FLY: PART TWO  
  
By The Writer  
  
I did get a few comments, which I consider enough to continue. For those who didn't like the first one, too bad, so sad. I'm really not sure how this will turn out, so give me a little time. There might be two more parts after this. I dunno. Just read to find out. Oh yeah, the poem is mine so if you want to use it or something, just ask me. (I doubt any of you will want that junk, but it's nice to take precautions. If you are disappointed at how bad the poetry is, let me reassure you that I've written tons better.)  
  
Tai walked home with a heavy heart.  
"Why couldn't you have answered my prayers instead of hers?" he whispered to God. "Why did she run from me?" In truth, he had enjoyed the kiss more out of lust than pure love and he felt ashamed. Maybe Sora sensed that. "You love her, Tai. Don't put yourself down for it," he told himself reassuringly, but he wasn't sure how he loved her. Tai didn't know whether he just wanted her body, or wanted her as a whole. He wiped away the tears that seemed to be ready to tumble down his cheeks at any moment. At that moment, he set into a steady jog to go home. "I'll just have to ask Kari about this," he mumbled.  
  
  
Sora had ran all the way home and was already in her bedroom crying. She was inwardly kicking herself for leaving Tai. She forced herself to think about what had just happened. She had loved the feeling of flying, but it didn't seem right to her, like one of the two was in that kiss for more than love. Like it was more for satisfaction. Sora buried her face deeper into the pillow. To her dismay, she heard the door slam and the jingle of keys.   
"Sora?" she heard her mother call. Sora gasped and dried her eyes quickly and tried to act like she was asleep. Her mother came upstairs to check on her daughter. Ms. Takenouchi saw the tear stains on her pillow and frowned slightly. "I'll ask her later," she thought. With that, she turned on her heels and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Sora heard the door close and sat up immediately out of bed. Sora sighed heavily. Her mother was home. Now what would she do?   
"I can't talk to Mimi, and I bet Kari's already taken right now. I don't really want to talk to any of the other guys. I am definitely not going to talk to my mother. If she finds out what I felt, I wouldn't live to see Tai again," Sora thought. Confusion clouded her thoughts and frustration followed. She was hurting, but she didn't know how to deal with it. She walked down stairs with red eyes from crying, but her mother didn't ask her why. She was too busy cooking dinner.  
"Sora, I'm going to go to the flower shop for a second. Would you watch this, please?" her mother asked. Sora nodded and Ms. Takenouchi headed out the door. Sora wrapped her arms around herself. Without much resistance, the tears began to flow down her cheeks. She had no clue on what to do, and there was basically no one she could talk to except maybe a tennis player at school, but they were all airheads. They wouldn't understand the feeling of true love. Suddenly, something shiny caught her eye. She turned to see a knife laying on the counter. Then it hit her.  
She grabbed the knife from its previous position on the counter and looked at it stupidly.   
"Should I?" she said aloud. The knife had given her an appealing thought that she wouldn't have even dared to do five hours ago. She summoned up all the will inside her and rushed up to her room, knife in hand. Her mother walked into the kitchen five minutes later.   
"Sora! You let it burn! I guess we'll have to stick to leftovers tonight," Ms. Takenouchi said angrily as she scraped the remnants of dinner from the pan that had been on the stove. The anger melted from Sora's mother immediately. What was wrong with Sora? She usually would have come down to apologize for such a mess. She had a general perception of how poor they were. Ms. Takenouchi decided not to bother her daughter until morning.  
  
  
"Hey, Kari!" Tai yelled to her from the balcony outside their apartment door. "Come here for a sec! Oh, hi Mom! Hey, Dad!" he said as he saw his father and mother talking busily in the kitchen. They both waved short shortly. Kari came out of the bedroom she and Tai shared with lightning speed.   
"What do you want?" she asked, glancing at her mother and father.   
"Come here!" he yelled again. Kari sighed and rushed out onto the balcony, shutting the door behind her.  
"What is your problem, Tai?" she asked angrily. The stare she was giving him had death written all over it, but it soon melted away when she that Tai had been crying. She wondered what could have been so horrible that her brother would have cried. "What happened?" she questioned a little more gently this time. Tai closed his eyes.  
"I told her how I felt. Just like you said," he whispered. Kari sighed.  
"And?"  
"And she rejected me. She ran from me," he said as if he still couldn't believe it. Kari patted her brother's shoulder.  
"Don't worry. She'll come around. She always has before," Kari reassured. Tai shook his head doubtfully.  
"I really don't think so," he whispered. Kari tilted her head slightly.  
"What exactly did you say?" Tai grinned halfheartedly.  
"Exactly what she wanted to hear," he said. Suddenly, he had a dull headache. He let out a sudden cry as the headache built in intensity. Kari looked at him questioningly.  
"What's wrong?" Kari asked. Tai was holding his head in his hands.   
"I... don't... know!" he finally choked. Abruptly, the pain stopped as soon as it had come. There was a slight painful throb that remained, but he was grateful that was all. Tai's eyes were watering out of pain now. "What the... SORA!" he yelled suddenly. Kari looked at her brother quizzically.  
"What about her?"   
"That's where the pain came from! Something's wrong with her!" he panicked. Kari tried to get him to calm down.  
"We don't know that. Go put an ice pack on your head. You're probably running a fever. Afterwards, call Matt or Izzy and get them to help you. I'm afraid that my opinion won't do you any good when I haven't got any experience." Tai nodded like a child obeying its mother.   
"Sure, whatever," he said, still startled by the pain that had put him in so much agony. Kari pushed him toward the door. Tai opened it with his right hand. He stepped inside to see his father and mother had moved from the kitchen to the living room. Kari looked worriedly at her brother as he prepared an ice pack to put on his head. She walked in after a little bit. She saw that Tai's eyes were focused on the space in front of him, but there was nothing there. "Sora..." he whispered. He shook his head and gritted his teeth. Kari walked up to the phone and picked it up.  
"What's Matt's number?" she asked. Tai thought for a split second and told her. Kari dialed it and listened as the phone started to ring.  
"Hello?" a familiar voice answered. Kari was glad that it was Matt and not his father.  
"Hi, Matt."  
"Oh, hey Kari. Whatcha need?"  
"Um, Tai needs to talk to you now. Could you please come over right away?" Kari asked hopefully.  
"Well, I can if it's really important. What happened?"  
"He'll tell you, but it's really, really important."  
"Fine, I'll be over in a sec. Make that two or three."  
"Whatever. Please hurry though!"  
"Alright, alright. I can't run across the city without shoes on!"  
"Thank you, Matt!" With that, Kari hung up the phone. "He's coming, Tai. Tai?" Her brother had completely zoned out. Kari walked over to him and shook him gently. Tai suddenly snapped back to reality.  
"What?" he snarled. Kari could easily match his tone.  
"I just called Matt. He's coming," she snarled back. Tai scowled at her.   
"You didn't have to call him now," he whispered. Kari smiled knowingly.  
"Oh, yes, I did." Tai and Kari walked out onto the balcony and waited for Matt to come over.  
  
  
Kari was the first one to spot Matt. Tai was staring into space again. The ice pack had long since melted and Kari had thrown it away for him. Matt rushed up to the Kamiya apartment with lightning speed.   
"Hey. I'm here. What's the big rush?" he asked. He saw Tai's watery eyes and decided to change his tone to something less chipper. "What's wrong, Tai?" Tai stared at the ground in front of him, unwilling to tell Matt what happened. Kari pushed him forward with a hidden strength that almost catapulted Tai to the ground.   
"Go for a walk, you two. He'll open up soon, Matt. You didn't come over here for nothing," she informed him. Matt nodded.  
"Let's go, fearless leader. Something's wrong and we're going to fix it."  
  
  
Sora laid almost lifelessly on her bed. Her wrist was bleeding freely onto a towel she had put under her arm. She had done it. She had cut her arm like she had heard so many girls had done to take away the pain. It hadn't really changed anything, but somehow she seemed to feel better. The knife had long since tumbled to the floor. It really hadn't hurt that much, but there had been a sting or two, and she knew she would feel it in the morning. She suddenly remembered. This was Sunday. She would see Tai at school tomorrow. She silently vowed that she would avoid him at all costs.  
  
  
Matt ruffled his blonde hair in a confused daze. "Wow, Tai. I never really knew you felt about her that way. I just thought you liked her." Tai shrugged.  
"I did when I was four, but I love her now." Tai had told Matt everything that had happened, even what he saw when he kissed Sora.   
"Well, one thing's for sure. You want her for who she is, and sometimes a kiss is supposed to be like that. You know that a kiss usually satisfies a need, not for love," Matt consoled, a little embarrassed that he was this in touch with his gentle side. "But I really don't think that it was for satisfaction, Tai. If it was, you wouldn't have seen all of that when you kissed her. I know I haven't." Tai shrugged again.  
"I just want to know why she ran from me," he whispered. Matt raised an eyebrow.   
"Do you think it's something about her mom and dad's past?" he asked. Tai looked at Matt with a scowl.  
"What about her mom and dad's past?" he growled. Matt took a few steps backward. Tai looked like he wanted to kill Matt for even bringing up the subject.  
"Well, I know she's seventeen and she's probably over it, but do you think it may be about how her dad used to cheat on her mom?" Matt asked. Tai grunted.  
"Maybe, but she knows I would never treat her like that. Especially the way he treated her... if I had known sooner I would have killed the prick myself," he muttered. Matt looked confused.  
"I only knew about him cheating on her mother. Something else happened?" Tai sighed heavily.   
"I don't know if I should tell you."  
"You told me everything else. Why not this?"  
"Because we'd be talking about Sora's life, and a part that she doesn't want everyone to know. I won't let her down," Tai explained. Matt walked toward him.  
"But you won't be. You'll just be helping me understand what's going on."  
"Well, maybe I need a second opinion," Tai snapped. Matt sighed.  
"I'm going to ignore your sarcasm. Maybe Izzy could help. I've even heard T.K. is quite the Romeo at his school," Matt said with a smile. Tai looked at him and nodded halfheartedly.  
"I may just need their help. Meanwhile, I think I'll send Kari over to check on Sora. Something is wrong and I've got to find out what." Tai waved good bye to Matt and started to go back to his apartment.  
"Call me if you need anymore help and I'll get the other guys too," Matt called to him. Tai acknowledged him with a nod of the head and ran full speed back to the apartment.  
  
  
"SORA!" Ms. Takenouchi called. Sora jumped to her feet from her bed. She felt lightheaded and lost her balance, launching her to the floor.   
"Coming, Mama!" she yelled. There was still a little bit of blood oozing from the wound that Sora had inflicted upon herself, but it wasn't as noticeable as she thought it would be. It was on the underside of her forearm, but she made sure that she didn't show the cut. She ran to the kitchen. "I'm here. What do you need?"  
"Well, I just got a call from somebody. The store next to ours got robbed and they think maybe ours was too. I need to go check on it. You stay here, okay?" Sora nodded. Her mother noticed the strange position Sora was standing in, but decided that she was just being a teenager.   
"I'll stand guard, mama," she laughed. Ms. Takenouchi nodded and walked out the door. Sora took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt so guilty. "What have I done to myself?" she whispered, examining the cut on her arm. Sora started crying relentlessly once she realized what she had done to herself. "I need you, Tai," she whispered through sobs. She felt a sudden pain in her temples. Thoughts of Tai flew through her mind. She saw him crying silently. She saw him talking to Matt about something. "He's worried about me," Sora realized with a certain amazement of how she could tell what Tai was going through. She abruptly understood that Tai was meant for her all along, which made her cry harder.  
"Why did I run from him?" she cried to herself as she slumped against the refrigerator door and slid to the ground. "Why did I run?"  
  
  
"Please, Kari. I need this," Tai whispered so his parents wouldn't hear him. Kari sighed deeply.  
"What do you want me to ask her?" she asked. Tai just stared at her. He finally closed his eyes.  
"Just ask her if... she needs somebody there with her, I mean if she's alright. If she says yes, tell her I'll be there within the moment," he said, opening his eyes as he said the last word. Kari nodded.  
"Whatever you say, Tai. I'll see you in a while, I guess. Wish me luck," she said as she headed toward the door. Tai smiled.  
"Good luck," he said to her as she opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. However, he really didn't think that Kari was the one that needed the luck.   
Sora was still crying, but she had let up a little. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, sending Sora into a panic.   
"C-C-Coming!" she finally choked out. She wiped her eyes quicky and ran to the door. She looked through the peephole to see Kari. Sora took a deep breath and opened the door.  
"Hi, Sora," Kari said. Sora smiled her best.  
"Hey, Kari. It's been a long time," she joked. Kari rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, five hours. Listen, I need to talk to you," Kari said. Sora sensed the concern in her voice. She nervously twisted her arm inwards until none of the bottom part of her arm showed. Kari saw this and became confused.   
"Are you hiding something, Sora?" Kari stepped forward cautiously. Sora didn't want Kari anywhere near her and began to back up slowly.   
"Why would I be hiding something?" the seventeen asked in an adult voice, but she was beginning to falter in her speech.  
"You are hiding something!" Kari accused. Sora shook her head frantically.   
"NO! Why would I be hiding something?" Kari stepped forward again.  
"I don't know why, but I know that you are. I'm calling Tai!"  
"NO! YOU CAN'T CALL HIM!" Sora screamed. Kari stared intently into Sora's crimson eyes.  
"And why can't I?"  
"Because he doesn't belong here," she whispered. Kari raised an eyebrow.  
"I'm calling him, Sora. He needs you. You need him. I don't see why he shouldn't come here," she whispered. Sora began to cry.  
"No, I can't... I can't be with him, Kari! You have to understand," Sora pleaded. Kari tilted her head slightly.  
"I don't understand. You love him, Sora. The more you deny it, the stronger your love for him will be." Kari was surprised with herself. "I should take my own advice," Kari thought, but soon pushed it away. This wasn't the time to be thinking about her own personal problems. "Do you need someone here with you?" Kari asked, trying to remember if that's all Tai had wanted her to ask. Sora said nothing. "Are you okay, Sora?" As if to say no, the dull throb in her arm swelled to a monstrous fire. Sora bit her tongue as not to say anything. "You're going to talk to him, Sora." With that, Kari marched past Sora and picked up the phone. Lucky for Kari, Tai answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Tai, come here now."   
"I'm on my way." With that, Kari heard the phone click. She hung up the phone and looked at Sora.   
"For you and Tai's sake, I'm going to leave. If you guys don't solve this on your own, I'm going to call everyone of the digidestined, even Davis, and we're going to settle this once and for all," Kari threatened. Sora sighed and nodded. Kari glanced one last time at Sora and ran out the door. Sora stared at the space where Kari had once been and waited for Tai to come.  
  
  
"WHAT?" T.K. asked. Matt sighed.  
"You heard me. She ran away from him. For no apparent reason. I think it was because of what happened with her dad, but Tai seems to be hiding something from me. I told him that I'd call you, Izzy, and Joe if he needed any help. Right now I'm telling you to stay on standby," he explained. He had called his younger brother the moment he had walked in the door.  
"Have you told Izzy and Joe?"  
"No, not yet."  
"I'll call Joe. You can go tell Izzy since he lives somewhere near you. Wow. This is serious."  
"I bet you wish you and Kari were that close," Matt jeered. T. K. scowled.  
"Stop it, Matt."  
"Hey, you need to go on and ask her out. I wouldn't be surprised if you fell in love with her," Matt hinted. T. K. sighed.  
"Maybe you're right, but this isn't the time. I'll call Joe, alright?"  
"Alright. Talk to you later." The brothers hung up and immediately began to call the few members of the original digidestined that remained.  
  
  
"..... I just thought that I'd tell you the immediate news since you were one of the original digidestined. I'll keep you updated.  
  
Kari"  
  
Kari finished the letter to Mimi with a sigh of relief. That had been a lot of typing. She pressed the "send" button.   
"Boy, this is beginning to sound like a soap opera," Kari thought to herself, but she had no idea how much more of a soap opera it would become.  
  
  
"SORA!!!" Tai yelled as he beat his fist against her door. Sora quickly ran over to the door and unlocked it so he could come in.  
"Hello, Tai," she greeted. Tai was breathless. He had ran the whole way. Sora smiled her best at him, which wasn't very good. The sharp pain had long since been replaced by the steady dull throb.  
"Sora, what's wrong? Why did you run from me?" he asked, ashamed that he had been that eager to ask her such a subtle question. Sora turned away from him.  
"That's none of your business, Tai."  
"The hell it isn't! I love you, Sora! You can't change that. I have a right to know what's wrong with you!" Sora glared at him.  
"I don't believe that you love me!" Tai was horrified.  
"What do you mean by that? Did you see what I saw when we kissed? That was no mistake. It was made by our love. That means that we both love each other," he said softly, but there was still a hint of bewilderment in his voice.  
Sora just stared at him.  
"Prove it." Tai couldn't believe it. He was proclaiming his love to her and she was trying to make him prove it? He decided to give her credit with all she had been through. He remembered it as though it was yesterday.  
  
  
It was the fifth grade field trip. Tai had waited all year to go on this one. It was rumored to be the best one yet. Sora had shared his excitement until the day to leave. He remembered that she had seemed so distant. Tai had joked with her all the way until their destination, but she was still so distant. He saw a bruise on her cheek and on one of her arms. He had asked her where she had got them. She had said soccer, but they hadn't played a game in a week. Tai kept questioning her until she finally took him aside and told him the truth about her father. She told him about how he had cheated on her mother. Sora told him that the only reason she knew is because she heard them fighting at night. Sora also told him about how her father wanted to make her mother miserable, so he went her most prized possession. Sora. She told Tai about how she had been so afraid and how he had thrown her into the walls of her bedroom. Tai had been shocked, but not too shocked because he had seen these abnormal bruises all over her body. That's the day Tai began to realize how different other people's lives were and how he needed to treat them with respect.  
  
  
Tai shuddered lightly as he slowly came back to reality. Sora's gaze had softened, but Tai still didn't understand.  
"I don't know why I have to prove it to you, Sora!" he suddenly yelled at her. Sora seemed shocked. She turned her back to him, put her face in her hands, and began to cry. He realized that it did have something to do with her father. Sora jumped as she felt two strong arms around her waist and Tai's head on her shoulder.  
"I met you and we became friends. I got to know you and we became inseparable. I began to love you and we became best friends. I flew into the sky with you, and we became soul mates. If you want me to prove my love to you, I will," he whispered. Sora turned to look into Tai's dark brown eyes and saw what he was thinking.  
"No, Tai. That's not what I want. I don't want to give in, yet," she whispered back. Tai smiled.  
"Would my words be proof?" he asked, his arms still lingering around her waist. Sora nodded hesitantly. Tai looked into her crimson eyes and began to speak slowly.  
"I see you with not with eyes but with the heart. My heart guides me through stormy skies and rolling seas to find you. Your heart is the light that I look to for hope. You are my soul. I am the empty shell of loneliness without your touch. You are my day. You are my night. I look for you in the dawn. I hunger for you in the dusk. My thoughts are of you. When you escape my mind's grasp, I cry out in agony for you to come back to me. My love for you could swallow the ocean. With the power you give me, I feel that the cosmos is mine. Without you, I am the left in the eternal darkness that God created me in before I knew you. I do not love you, but I worship you. You are my Aphrodite," he whispered. Sora had begun to cry.  
"I love you, Tai," she whispered. Tai smiled and took her hands gently. Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through her arm. Tai's touch seemed to have ignited the fiery cut.   
"What is it, Sora?" he asked. Sora was crying in pain now. Tai looked at her arm and saw that the cut that had temporarily stopped bleeding was now doing so dramatically. Sora's blood dripped all over the floor and onto Tai's clothes. "Sora! What did you do to yourself?" he asked frantically. Sora was trying to speak, but the pain was too unbearable for her to say anything. Tai still had his hands around her waist, afraid to let her go. He thought that she might just fall to the ground. He gently laid her down on the kitchen floor, although she was quite capable of standing on her own.   
"Hold on, Sora! You'll be okay!" he told her. He took off his shirt and wrapped around her bleeding arm. Sora just looked at him and smiled.  
"I hope so. You can't live without me, remember?" she said solemnly. Tai smiled.   
"Oh, you will be. Don't worry." He put her head in his lap until the bleeding stopped.  
  
  
Tai had laid Sora's sleeping body on the floor. He had summoned up all his courage and had changed her clothing. Just her shirt and pants though. He had cleaned the floor and had already been working on getting the blood-stains out of her clothing. There was a low moan and the sound of someone yawning.  
"Tai? Are you still here?"  
"Yes, I'm here. I wouldn't dare leave you," he whispered from above her. She realized that her clothes had been changed and suddenly became embarrassed.  
"I see you changed my clothes." Tai shrugged.  
"I didn't want your mom to find out about what happened here. There's one thing, though. Can I ask you a question?" he asked. Sora nodded.  
"Sure, go ahead." Tai held up the knife that had been in Sora's bedroom.   
"Why did you hurt yourself?"  
  
Damn. Another cliff hanger. I think this one was kind of boring, but don't despair. I think I have at least one more part to go. So just hold on. If you have any comments, email me at dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com I'll answer as soon as possible. Until next time, auf Wiedersehen! (THAT'S GOOD BYE IN GERMAN FOR YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THE SOUND OF MUSIC!) 


	3. How to Fly Part Three

HOW TO FLY PART THREE  
  
by The Writer  
  
Disclaimer: Yet again, I am poor and I own nothing. This is for the people who have been begging me for the next fanfic. This one is kind of long. There will be a part four, though. Hey, for all you people out there who are new to the site or are looking for something good to read, read Kari and Logan's fanfics. They are great at what they do. I'd like some comments, you guys. I don't care if they're good or bad, just throw me a bone, people!  
AND HERE GOES NOTHING.  
  
"Tai, I can't-"  
  
"Tell me, Sora! I care too much about you to let you kill yourself," Tai whispered, twirling the knife in his hand like a baton. Sora swallowed the lump in her throat with a loud gulp.  
  
"I... I don't know." Tai looked at her with an eyebrow raised, stopping the knife's twirling action to where the blade stood straight up into the air.   
  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Sora sighed deeply and looked into the brown irises of the one who cared so much for her.  
  
"To take away the pain, Tai. Don't act so stupid. You've heard of girls that do that," she snapped. Tai drew back from her. He was shocked at her sudden reply, but he quickly regained his composure. He put the knife down on the table next to the couch so she wouldn't feel threatened.  
  
"Was I the cause of your pain?" he asked quietly. Sora turned away from him and closed her eyes as she got up from the couch.  
  
"You know you aren't the reason," she said softly. Tai frowned slightly.   
  
"Is about your dad? Because you know I would never treat you like that," he whispered, trying to tread around the tender subject, but there was no way to avoid it. Sora shuddered lightly and felt her eyes well up in tears.  
"I'm sorry, Sora, but I love you. You know that. I just wanted to know what you were thinking about when you hurt yourself," he whispered again, trying to get her to open up. Sora opened her eyes and stretched out her arm in front of her. She saw that the wound on her arm had a thin scab covering it, but she knew she had to be careful as not to irritate it. She sighed and turned around to face Tai. She could see the worried look on his face. She saw her blood dotting the front of his shirt, the one she had washed earlier.  
  
"I love you with all my heart and the better part of my soul, but I can't be with you right now. It's too hard. I've never had a boyfriend, and if I could have one, you'd be the first one on the list, but what my dad did...." she trailed off suddenly. She was becoming distant. Tai walked over to her and gently put a hand on her unscathed arm.  
  
"Did something else happen, Sora?" he asked. She turned around and shook her head slowly.  
  
"No, he didn't actually do anything that bad, but you could tell he wanted to. The worst thing he did to me was beat me up. It's kind of scary to realize that it could have gotten worse. But the beatings were bad enough." She smiled sadly and put her head against his chest, crying softly. Tai felt a certain strength flow through him with a fierce force that almost made him fall to the ground. The feeling that he had felt before flowed through his veins with a frightening speed. It was as if being with Sora made his senses reach new levels now. He could hear people's footsteps on the sidewalk outside. He could hear the steady tick of the clock in her living room. He could feel her heart beating rhythmically as she pressed her body closer to him to hug him. He hugged her back. As he did, he could hear the steady sound of her breathing. So softly. Softer and softer until he thought that a feather dropping from the sky would have sounded a hundred times louder. The feeling was not within Sora at the moment, but he knew that was alright. He wanted to feel it alone right now, as a reassurance that he was in love with her. To his dismay, the feeling soon washed away into nothing as she pulled away from him. Tai smiled at her. Sora smiled back.  
  
"I love you, Sora. I can wait a billion eternities before you come to me," he whispered. Sora smile became a little saddened.  
  
"I hope it won't be that long," she replied. He sighed heavily. An awkward silence fell between them. Tai looked at the clock on top of her TV.  
  
"Oh, wow. We've got school tomorrow and it's almost 10:00. My parents will kill me for staying out this late. I guess I'll see you later," he called as he backed toward the door. He turned around, put his hand on the doorknob, and had the door halfway open before Sora said anything.  
  
"Uh, Tai?" Tai whirled around, hoping for Sora to change her mind. She smiled wryly at him. "You won't have to wait forever. Believe me." That made Tai smile. Hope flooded his soul.  
  
"I hoped not," he whispered and ran out the door. Sora's smile widened.  
  
"I love you," she said as she felt the happiness flood her soul in the same manner that hope had to Tai's.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Kari!" Tai called happily as he stormed in the front door. His mom made a hushing sound. Tai ignored her and ran to his room. "Kari! Guess what happened?" he asked excitedly once he saw his sister laying on the top bunk bed.  
  
"I dunno. You tell me," she answered. She seemed distracted. Tai decided to ignore this.  
  
"Sora's gonna be okay!" he yelled. There was another hush from the living room telling him to be quiet, but he refused to let such news be so secretive.  
  
"Good for you, Tai," Kari whispered with a smile on her face, but she quickly zoned out. Tai tilted his head slightly out of confusion. He climbed the ladder to her top bunk and looked at her suspiciously. He waved his hand in front of her face but there was no reaction. He smiled when an idea came to mind.  
  
"T.K.'s here," he told her. Suddenly, Kari's eyes widened.  
  
"Where? Oh my gosh, what will I do?" she said frantically. Tai started laughing hysterically. Kari quickly caught on and strained not to punch her brother. "Ha... ha... ha..." she whispered. Tai finally stopped laughing.  
  
"Sorry. It was pretty funny. Why don't you just take your own advice and go out with T.K.?" he asked. Kari turned away from her brother and bowed her head.  
  
"Because he's supposed to ask me out, not the other way around," she answered sullenly. Tai nodded in agreement. She did have a point. It didn't matter if she was being stubborn about it. She was right.  
  
"Well, I have to call Matt anyway. You want me to... put in a good word for you?" he asked. Kari looked at him. There was a second or two before she said anything.  
  
"No! Don't do it, Tai!" she said with sudden horror plastered on her face. Tai smiled knowingly.  
  
"Oh, I won't," he whispered. With that, he jumped down to the floor and raced out the door toward the kitchen.  
  
"TAI!" Kari yelled after him, but she wasn't totally against the idea, so she let him go. Tai was already dialing Matt's number.  
  
"Hello?" a young voice answered. It sounded like T.K.  
  
"Hello. Is this T.K.?" Tai asked. There was a gasp on the other end of the telephone.  
  
"Tai? Is that you?"  
  
"Sure is."  
  
"Oh, wow. It's good to hear from you. Matt told me about you and Sora. Sorry to hear it."  
  
"Don't be. We're okay now."  
  
"You're going out?"  
  
"No, but maybe soon," Tai said hopefully. T.K. nodded as if Tai could see him.  
  
"That's good. You want Matt?"  
  
"No, that's okay. What are you doing over there anyway?"  
  
"Oh, Mom let me come over right away after I heard from Matt. I told her it was an emergency."  
  
"I'd say. It's kind of late, isn't it?  
  
"Yeah, but I can spend the night here.  
  
"That's cool. Hey, I've got a question for you."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you like Kari?" There was a pause.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ask her out," Tai was surprised to hear his voice make the words come out as a command and not a request. T.K.   
paused again.  
  
"I..I.."   
  
"Okay. I'll take that as a yes."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Tell Matt I said hi. Talk to you later."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Bye," Tai said as he hung up the phone with that famous grin of his. "This is going to be good." He called to Kari as he ran back into their room. "Hey, you're all set up. Better watch out for that Casanova. I think he's got a thing for you," he said. Kari smiled as a crimson flooded her cheeks. She suddenly saw the blood on his shirt for the first time.  
  
"Tai! What happened?" she asked, pointing at the red spots on his shirt. Tai staggered backwards.  
  
  
"I.. Uh, I'd rather not say. I just need to get it off before Mom sees it. Would you help me?" he asked. Kari nodded hesitantly.  
  
"Sure. What is it with you and clothes today, Tai?" she asked sarcastically. Tai laughed a deep hearty laugh. He felt so much better. He felt like he had a purpose to live. Like life was worth the pain now that there was someone there to take it all away. Kari helped him get the stains off of his shirt. He prepared for bed and smiled dreamily.  
  
He had that dreamy smile on his face even after he went to sleep.  
*******************  
  
  
Sora had a little bit more trouble going to sleep. She kept thinking about what Tai had said as she tried to get the blood stains out of her clothes before her mother came home. "I could wait a billion eternities before you come to me," she kept repeating to herself. Could she do the same? She thought the crest of love would help her understand, but apparently it didn't. She was as confused as ever. She didn't know if she loved Tai in the same way. She couldn't help but wonder if Tai's love was going to be returned or not. It made her shudder to think how much time she had spent with Tai and had never realized her true feelings for him. She felt ashamed that she was seventeen years old but she still couldn't tell if she loved someone. She felt a sudden anger build like an inferno inside her chest as she condemned herself for making Tai feel bad for cutting herself. She didn't realize that she had made Tai feel like a new person, not the same one he had always been. She remembered what he said to her. "I'm his Aphrodite," she whispered. She smiled after the words passed her lips. The words made it all sound so romantic when the feeling was so much more. She heard the door slam. "Mama!" she whispered. Sora quickly stuffed her clothes into the washing machine and turned it on.   
  
"Sora!" her mother called.   
  
"Coming Mama!" she called back. She hurried from her current position in the house to the front door. Her mother had her keys in hand.  
  
"I would have been back sooner, but one of the windows of the shop was broken and I had to do a complete inventory check." Sora tilted her head slightly.  
  
"Why didn't you call home? I could have helped," she said with a hint of anger, but she realized that if she had gone, Tai wouldn't have got the chance to talk to her. Without him, she could have died. Her mother had no idea what she had been through in just the past five hours.  
  
"Well, it was getting late. It's 10:00 now. What are you doing up? It's a school night. You know that. Go to bed this instant. You can take your shower in the morning," Ms. Takenouchi scolded. Sora bowed her head like a little child.  
  
"Yes, Mama," she whispered as she turned on her heals and ran to her bedroom. Sora put on her pajamas and climbed into bed. She stared dreamily at the ceiling. She counted the cracks as she had counted them a million times trying to go to sleep, but she kept seeing Tai's face. She kept seeing his dark brown eyes and thought of how much she wanted to stare into them. She kept seeing his brown hair and how much she wanted to run her hands through it. She kept seeing his mouth and how much she wanted to kiss him. Sora kept seeing these startling images with such clarity for quite some time. She looked at the clock that laid upon her small window sill. 10:54. Next to it, as if giving her some kind of sign, was a picture of her and Tai when they were younger. They were smiling. It was right after they had won the championship at soccer camp. It was right before her mother wouldn't let her play anymore. Sora smiled. When they were younger, things had seemed less complex. She suddenly wished she was young again, but quickly took the wish back. If she had been younger, Sora believed that she wouldn't have known what true love was. Even though she didn't know now, she thought she had a fair chance to figure it out. Sora heard the click of her mother's lights going out. Her mother always fell into a deep sleep right after 11:00 because that's when she started snoring. Sora felt sorry for her mother. She deserved a break from her work, but she never got one. Sora watched the clock tick steadily by. 10:55 barely crept around. Her impatience was growing, but she knew that she had to wait if she wasn't going to get caught. Finally, hours seemed to pass, but 11:10 passed and there was the loud sound of snoring coming down the hall. Sora smiled. She walked over to her small window and put the clock on the ground. She was going to do the same with the picture, but she paused, running her finger over Tai's outline. She smiled widely as she remembered all the times when she was younger that she had kissed that picture. Back then, it was a juvenile love, but now, it was something beyond what some adults had felt. She was sure of it. She quickly laid the picture on the floor and opened the small bedroom window. She eyed it cautiously. She figured it was just big enough to get through. As she began to slip through it, she realized that there was more than enough room. After she got out, she got a foot hold on the rose trellis and closed the window to just enough room to slip her fingers under it to lift it when she got back. She climbed down the side of her house with amazing agility. She jumped the last three feet to the ground. She frowned when she realized that she had forgotten her coat and her shoes, but some things were more important. She looked down at her plaid pajama bottoms and gray ODAIBA shirt and laughed. "I'm fit for the occasion," she thought. She took a deep sigh and exhaled lingeringly.   
  
"I'm coming, Tai," she said aloud as she walked on the sidewalk to Tai's apartment.  
  
*******************************  
  
Tai had been sleeping peacefully, but suddenly something made him bolt to an upright position in his bed. Kari snoozed happily and didn't hear Tai's sudden move. He got up from his bed. He, too, was wearing plaid pajama bottoms, but he wasn't wearing a shirt. Contrary to Sora's, his pajama pants were green and black plaid while Sora's were red and gray. He staggered to the doorway and then stopped, leaning against the door frame. Kari heard him yawn.  
  
"Where are you going, Tai?" she asked suddenly, startling Tai to a near shriek.  
  
"Don't scare me like that. I just woke up, that's all. I'm going to get some fresh air," he whispered loudly. Kari nodded sleepily.   
  
"You should put a coat on. It's supposed to be kinda cold outside. Something like 60," she whispered back. Tai nodded.  
  
"Thanks for the advice, Kari. I should be back soon, but don't call the search parties if I'm not back, ok?" he told her. Kari nodded again, but this was just an impulsive move. She was already falling back asleep. Tai chuckled to himself as he staggered closer to the front door. He grabbed his jacket off the coat hanger and opened the door. He drew in a hissing breath as he felt the cold air wrap around his topless body, but he refused to put the jacket on right away. He wanted to feel the air around him without any interference. Something had wakened him. He knew that it hadn't been just a coincidence. He felt that something was coming. He wondered if it was Sora. Tai walked out onto the balcony and closed the door behind him. He shuffled out to the rail that separated him from the ground below. He threw his jacket aside for later use. He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned on his forearms on the rail. Tai sighed heavily. He knew how it felt to love somebody, but he wasn't sure that it was being returned yet. It saddened him to think that Sora might not love him, but he pushed the thought away immediately.   
"I shouldn't doubt her like that," he whispered to himself. He tried, for the moment anyway, to get her out of his mind. To his amazement, he couldn't do it. He looked at the bright stars in the sky and all he could think about was how much more beautiful Sora's eyes were. Tai looked at the moon, but it only reminded him of her angelic face. He looked at the sleeping city that blocked the horizon from view and could only think about how breathtaking Sora must look when she sleeps. He wondered how it would be to watch what he believed to be the only angel on Earth sleep. Tai remembered when they flew together. The wings that they had made for each other. She was an angel. Sora was Tai's angel. Her beauty, her good nature. Sora was the goddess of his love. She was his Aphrodite. She carried his heart in the palm of her hand. Tai shuddered when he realized that if she was to close her hand, his heart would be broken and he might as well kill himsel. A step he wasn't so willing to take. Then, he smiled when he realized that Sora was the last person to do that to somebody. This goddess wasn't as cruel as the Greeks had portrayed her. He loved her. Tai knew that now. It was just the matter of it being returned. He took deep breaths as he stood on the balcony, unsure of what he was waiting for. He could only hope that it was Sora.   
**********************************  
Sora walked the on the still-warm pavement with her bare feet quickly. It had cooled down a lot, and she was starting to shiver. If she kept walking at this pace, she would be at his place in a matter of a minute, maybe less. She began to wonder if Tai knew she was coming. She smiled as she thought that maybe they were in love. She walked faster as she began to dream of all the things her and Tai could do together as a couple, if that's what they were destined to become.  
***********************************  
  
Tai was beginning to feel a little bit more comfortable in the cool winds that seemed to be trying to wrap themselves around his body. He sighed heavily. He wondered if anybody was coming. There was no one out at this time of night except in the speeding cars that drove by his apartment building at ungodly hours. There would be a speeding car every other moment, but nothing out of the ordinary.  
"Guess she's not coming," he whispered to himself. It had been a big day. It all started out as a friendly game of soccer. Now he was waiting for his best friend to come over and tell him that she was in love with him. "That's a total change of events," Tai said to himself with a smile. Suddenly, his keen ears picked up the sound of a voice. It sounded like a girl's, but Tai knew that was no ordinary girl. He whirled around and saw Sora on the ground below.  
"SORA!" he yelled, forgetting all about the people around him who were asleep.   
  
"I'm coming up there, Tai!" she yelled to him. He smiled.  
  
"No, don't! I'm coming down there!" he yelled again. There was a burst of light out of his neighbor's window. "Uh, oh," Tai whispered to himself, but stayed no longer to find out what his neighbor was up for. He grabbed his jacket and ran full speed. In no time, he had sped to an elevator that was out of sight from his neighbor's door. "Argh!" he mumbled to himself. The elevator was taking too long. Tai spotted a fire escape. "It's not the best way, but it's quick!" He jumped onto the fire escape and headed down as fast as he could. He finally reached the ground. Sora was no where in sight since he had used the fire escape on the far side of the building. He ran around the side of the building and saw her standing near a bench.  
  
"'Bout time, slow poke!" she teased as he ran up to her. Tai just smiled wryly.   
  
"Did you need something, Sora?" he asked. Sora just sighed.   
  
"I just wanted to.. aw, heck." She pulled Tai's face down to hers and they met in a kiss. They did not see what they saw before... They saw something better. Bright lights flooded their minds. Tai saw Sora as he had always thought of her. She was an angel. Her wings were broad, but sleek to give her a more elegant look. Her hair fell in strands around her soft white face. Her clothes were the same as they had been, but it seemed to make her more human, not less beautiful. Sora saw Tai as a dauntless hero. He was wearing armor, such as a breast plate and shin guards. His hair was still the same mess as it had always been, but Sora loved it that way. She was his angel; he was her knight in shining armor. Outside of the kiss, Tai was reaching for her side, just to touch her. On the inside of the kiss, they were only inches away from each other, holding hands. Sora reached for him on the outside and touched his bare muscular chest. Tai gasped suddenly in ecstasy, but didn't ever lose his composure. He gently put his hand on her and slowly began to run it up her side. They smiled at each other, but the shared dream became broken when Sora broke the kiss. Tai looked at her quizzically. She was shaking.  
  
"Are you cold, Sora?" He was immediately concerned for her health, immediately drawing back his hand. Sora just started shake more violently. Tai took the jacket that was still draped over his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. He guided her to the nearby bench and sat her down carefully. He held her close against his bare chest, but she still shook. She seemed so distant. Then it dawned on Tai. "He did do something else, didn't he?" he asked her quietly. The dazed look on Sora's face disappeared as she looked at his concerned face.  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Did your dad-"  
  
"Molest me?" Tai shuddered lightly at the thought of anyone taking advantage of Sora like that.  
  
"Yes," he whispered. Sora sighed.  
  
"I can't remember, but that kiss seemed to hit something. I don't know what." Tai looked at her placidly.  
  
"He did. I know he did." Sora glared at him.  
  
"Stop saying that! He didn't do anything like that! My father was a good man!" Tai's stare hardened.  
  
"Really? What good man beats his daughter to hurt his wife? He touched you, too, or you wouldn't be acting like this." Sora stood up suddenly, shrugging his jacket of her shoulders.  
  
"I told you that I didn't remember what happened! It was a long time ago! I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!" she yelled into his face. Tai gritted his teeth to stop from yelling at her. He stood up to look into her crimson eyes.   
  
"That's the reason you don't remember. You don't want to. Someone is dead wrong here, and it's not me!" he exclaimed.  
  
"NO! I loved my dad!" she choked, closing her eyes as if something painful was coming to memory. Tears were beginning to flow down her cheeks. Tai grabbed her arm suddenly.  
  
"That doesn't mean he didn't hurt you! Listen to me, Sora! I love you! I won't do anything bad to you!" he begged. Sora's face was showing that she was in pain. Tai's grip had tightened, causing her to gasp in pain.  
  
"You're hurting me, Tai! Stop it! You're just like he was! You just want to hurt me! You just want to do anything you want with me and then leave me! I'm not that stupid! Dad was just like that. You're right, something did happen, but you're repeating history! I don't love you!" she sobbed as she jerked her arm out of Tai's grip and ran all the way home. Tai just watched her run.   
  
"But I love you, Sora!" he called. Sora just cried and cried as she ran as fast as she could home. Tai sat down on the bench and watched her until she was out of sight. He put his face in his hands. He began to shake suddenly. Emotional pain racked his body. Tears began to pour out of his eyes. He raised his head up. The moon reflected off his face brilliantly, but not even it could show the true pain he was feeling. She had closed her hand around his heart. Now, he wasn't sure what he'd do. Death seemed to be the only possible alternative. He stood up and walked back toward the elevator. His topless body was still shaking, but not as much. He figured, however, that the pain would get a lot worse. School was tomorrow, and there he'd see Sora. Tai began to cry fresh tears as the elevator doors opened up and he stepped inside. He was hoping that God would just take mercy and kill what was left of his soul.  
***************************  
  
Sora ran and ran. "Why did I go to him?" she thought. Her tears were gradually stopping, but the pain inside of her was becoming greater. She would see Tai tomorrow. Then what would she do? It was not so much that Tai touched her; it was that her dad had so long ago. She stopped running to lean up against a building. Sora looked behind her and saw that Tai hadn't followed her. She mentally scolded herself for saying that to Tai. She did love him. Sora realized that what her dad had done so many years go had a deeper effect on her than what she thought. She stopped leaning on the building and began to walk. Her apartment was in view now. Sora muttered a few curses to herself as she realized that she had to climb back up the rose trellis to her room. She was now below her bedroom window. The lights were still off. "Good. Mama's not up," she said, relieved that some of her grief would be spared tonight. She reached up and began to climb slowly, as to not wake her mother. Sora finally got to her window and raised it halfheartedly. She had this feeling inside of her that told her to go back to Tai and tell him how sorry she was, even give herself to him, but there was the overwhelming feeling that told her that she should just wait. She crawled through the window and jumped inside. She closed the window and felt around on the floor for the picture and the clock. She gingerly put them back on the window sill. There was a sudden burst of light. Her mother was standing by the door. Sora gasped.  
  
"Mama, I-"  
  
"Save it, Sora. I thought something might be wrong, but I decided to trust you. I love you, but I'm not sure if I should trust you anymore. You went out with Tai, didn't you?" her mother asked, her eyes blazing. Sora was still stunned to see her up at this hour with all the work she had done earlier.  
  
"You don't understand, Mama! I-"  
  
"You will not play in the tennis tournament Saturday and you will not be going to the annual carnival the week after that, understand?"  
  
"MAMA! Listen to me!"   
  
"No, I won't. That Tai makes me very angry. You will not see him anymore. It's a wonder you're not pregnant by him!" Sora looked bemused.  
  
"Pregnant? But, Mama, I haven't done anything with him or anyone else!" Sora cried, trying to get her mother to believe her. Her mother never softened.  
  
"Go to bed, Sora. School is in the morning," her mother said, as if nothing else had happened. Ms. Takenouchi walked out of Sora's bedroom and slammed the door shut. Sora just fell into a heap on the ground and began to cry.  
  
************************  
THE NEXT MORNING  
  
"Wake up, Tai!" Kari yelled excitedly. Tai woke up with a start. Suddenly, all the memories of what had happened the night before flooded his body with sadness.   
  
"I'm up." He hopped out of the bottom bunk and walked into the kitchen. There his mother was making something unidentifiable.   
  
"Good morning, Tai! You want some of my famous eggs?" she asked cheerfully. Tai managed a smile.   
  
"Oh, so that's what that was. I'll pass, Mom. Thanks, anyway." Kari looked at her brother suspiciously as he shuffled back to his room. She followed him. Tai saw her and instantly became infuriated. "I'm going to get dressed, Kari! Leave me alone!" Kari stood her ground.  
  
"What happened last night with Sora?" she asked. Tai's mouth dropped open. Kari smiled. "I just knew, okay? Now, what happened?" Tai sighed.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it right now," he whispered. Kari just shook her head.  
  
"Whatever," she replied as she ran back into the living room. Tai was surprised when he realized she was already dressed. He gathered his will and began to get dressed himself.  
  
************************  
  
"Sora! Get dressed or you'll be late!" her mother called. Sora groggily got out of bed. She had dreamed endlessly last night about Tai and her father. In it, they were both after her body. She shuddered lightly as she remembered it all. She shuffled over to her dresser and got out her school uniform. She slowly got ready. Sora began to reach for the doorknob, but her mother suddenly opened the door. "Just checking to see if you were ready." Sora smiled weakly and spread out her arms.  
  
"I guess I am," she said as she let her arms fall back down to her sides. Her mother didn't return the smile.  
  
"Sora, I wanted to apologize for how harsh I was last night, but you shouldn't have snuck out. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you. I was just thinking. I'll let you go to the tournament and the carnival, but you can't be around Tai for a while, okay?" Sora sighed.  
  
"No problem there," she replied. Her mother looked at her suspiciously, but decided to let it go.   
  
"Well, you had better get going. I'm going to leave now to check the shop. Are you going to be alright?" Sora nodded. "Okay then. I'll see you later." Her mother gave Sora a kiss on the cheek and left. When Sora heard the front door slam, she broke down and cried. The memories of her father touching her and beating her all came back to mind. She fell in a heap onto the floor. It was all so painful. She had let down Tai, her best friend and her only love, all because she was so emotional. Tai would never understand. She thought that he may have loved her, but not enough to help her. Though Sora was wrong, something inside of her wouldn't let her believe that Tai was the answer to her prayers. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed a razor that was laying on a shelf in the shower. She closed her eyes and opened them again.  
  
"I love you, Tai," she whispered as she laid the razor blade horizontally on her wrist and slit it with a quick motion. She quickly did the same for the other wrist, too. Pain shot through her arms, but she felt she had to do this. Blood began to gush from the wounds that she had inflicted upon herself. Suddenly, it all went dark. The front door opened as her mother came back in.  
  
"Sora! Are you still here? Must be. You didn't lock the door. SORA! I forgot my keys. Hello!? SO-RA!" Ms. Takenouchi ran up to her daughter's room. "Sora!" she yelled again. She ran from her daughters room and saw the bathroom light on. "Sora, are you al- OH MY GOD!" her mother screamed. She quickly ran to the phone and dialed 911.  
  
**************************   
  
"Hey, Tai! How's you and Sora going?" Matt asked when he first saw Tai on the way to school. Tai just smiled weakly. TK was behind Matt and Tai talking to Kari.   
  
"Not too good, Matt. I think I really hurt her this time." Matt's smile disappeared.   
  
"What happened?" he asked. Tai just sighed.  
  
"It's a long story. I'll tell you later maybe," he whispered. Matt nodded hesitantly and decided not to push the subject. Suddenly, Izzy came into view from a crowd of people across the street.  
  
"Hey, Izzy! What's up?" Matt asked. Izzy just shook his head.  
  
"Not much. How are you doing, Tai?" he asked. Tai just nodded.  
  
"I'll be alright," he replied, but knew that was wishful thinking.  
  
"Hey, look over there? Is that romance I see?" Matt said, trying to change to subject as he pointed to Kari and T.K. standing together holding hands.   
  
"Well, I guess peer pressure does work," Tai said cheerfully. Inside, he was feeling the full force of what had happened the night before. He loved her, but she had made it obvious that she didn't love him. He began to cry silently. Izzy saw this and quickly became concerned.  
  
"Tai? Are you alright?" he asked. Tai quickly tried to regain his composure, but it was too late.  
  
  
"It's too late! I've lost her forever!" he cried. He fell to his knees on the ground. Matt and Izzy kneeled beside him.  
  
"Damn, Tai. Don't start this here. We've got to get you out of here now!" Matt whispered. Izzy nodded.  
  
"I totally agree with Matt. Come on, Tai!" he said as he grabbed Tai's arm and began to pull. Matt joined the effort.   
Kari saw this and began to get upset. T.K. held her back.  
  
"They've got him, Kari. He'll be alright," he consoled. Kari shook her head.  
  
"I'm not so sure..." she trailed off.  
  
******************************  
  
The day was a long and hard one for Tai. Everything reminded him of Sora. The clouds, the other girls, even a tennis racket a girl was waving around like a baton. Everything reminded him of her. He walked out of the high school building slowly. There was no one around that he could see. He thought that he just might start crying all over again, but he had to stay strong. He walked out onto the sidewalk and turned a corner when he saw Joe.  
  
"Hey, Joe. What are you doing here? Aren't you working at the hospital or something?" he asked, but he quickly realized something was wrong when he saw all the digidestined standing behind him. Kari, T.K., Yolei, Cody, Davis, Matt, and Izzy were there. He noticed that Mimi wasn't there, but she would probably be there later if this was important. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's Sora," Joe said solemnly. Tai dropped his bag off his shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong? Tell me!" he said as he ran up to Joe and grabbed his shirt.  
  
"She's in the hospital," Joe said calmly as he tried to pry Tai's hands off his shirt.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"She almost killed herself, and it doesn't look like she'll make it."  
  
Dun dun dah! What's going to happen? I'm not really sure yet. There are two possible endings. I didn't mean for it to get like this, but it's going to work out okay. Hey, if anyone out there has had to or is going through what Sora did in this story, please get help! No one deserves this. I actually feel sorry for her. Hey, if you people want me to write part four, email me at dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com or write a review. If I don't get at least 15 reviews, flames or fame, I won't write the last part. Until the possible next time, adieu! 


	4. How to Fly Part Four

HOW TO FLY: PART FOUR  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Digimon relation. Never have, never will. Okay, this is going to be kind of long (what an understatement). The part of the song that is mentioned first in this story is by Matchbox Twenty off the CD Mad Season. It's BENT and Rob Thomas wrote it, not me. The other two songs are from the first Tonic CD, Lemon Parade. The first one is called LEMON PARADE and the one after that is SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER. (Those two are like my most favorite cds in the world.) I hope you guys like this one. It's the last fanfic in the series. I don't think I'll write any more after this. It depends. ::sighs:: I really did have a good time writing them, though. You know, getting the creative juices flowing. Alright. Enough of my psycho babble or whatever you're supposed to call it these days. Here goes nothing and everything at once. (Oh yeah. Thanks to Logan for his advice on the ending of the fanfic!)  
  
Tai's heart skipped a beat.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, Joe?" he asked, his heart now speeding to an easy 100 beats per minute. Joe managed to pry Tai's softening grip from his shirt.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tai. It's just that she-"  
  
"She hurt herself, Tai. It just doesn't look good," Izzy finished for him. Joe nodded. Tai's face seemed to darken.  
  
"She hurt herself? How?" he asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.  
  
"She slit her wrists in what they believe to be... a... a suicide attempt," Matt said sadly. Tai's vision became blurry. He staggered suddenly, rubbing his temples furiously. Joe seemed worried.  
  
"Are you okay, Tai?" he asked. Tai shook his head furiously.  
  
"No. Not unless she is. I'M COMING, SORA!" he yelled. He pushed his way through the crowd of digidestined and ran as fast as he could, but came to a screeching halt not twenty feet from them. "Which hospital, Joe?"   
  
"Odaiba Medical Cen-" Joe didn't even finish his answer before Tai disappeared out of sight.   
  
"I wonder what his problem is," Davis said. Kari turned and punched him in the shoulder. Davis cried out in pain. "What was that for?" Kari clenched her teeth.  
  
"He loves her and you're wondering what his problem is? Either you're an insensitive jerk or just really stupid," she scolded. Davis shrank back nervously. T.K. smiled slightly at Davis' response, but then became serious again.  
  
"I think we better follow him. Tai might do something that he shouldn't." Kari nodded.   
  
"T.K.'s right. Let's go!" she commanded. Everyone ran after Tai.  
***********************  
Tai was running faster than he ever had before. As the old saying said, fear is a good motivator. Tai feared for Sora's life and his own. Tai blinked away the thought of Sora completely rejecting him. She had, but he didn't completely believe that it was true. Nevertheless, the option of taking his own life was still tempting. He wouldn't yet though, because if she did love him, the pain that she would feel would be far too much for Tai. He loved her, and any pain, emotional or physical, that he would do to her would hurt him one billion times worse. He kept running at full speed. His lungs felt like they were going to explode, but he kept running. His heart beat was steadily increasing, but he no longer noticed. Sora was the one and only thing on his mind. He rounded a corner and saw a sign that said ODAIBA MEDICAL CENTER. On it, there was an arrow that pointed to EMERGENCY. Tai quickly sped toward the emergency room with all his might. He made it, but he felt awful. His worry for Sora with the combined force of the stitch in his side almost drove him crazy. Tai saw the receptionist desk and ran toward it with all the strength that he had in his body. When he got to the desk, he almost collapsed from the near three miles that he had ran without stopping. The receptionist looked at him quizzically.  
  
"Are you alright, sir?" she asked politely. Tai didn't answer her question.  
  
"Where... is... Sora... Takenouchi?" he asked in between breaths. The receptionist quickly looked at the computer screen and tapped the keys a few times.  
  
"Oh, my. She's on the third floor, I believe. Yes. She's Room... 301," she said. Tai whispered a thank you and sped down the hall. The receptionist watched him until he was out of sight with a slight shake of her head for his reckless behavior. Tai went around one corner and then another. The elevators were no where in sight. He looked around him frantically. A doctor came into view from around one of the many corners on this floor.   
  
"Doctor! Where are the elevators?" he asked, glancing at an elderly man in a wheel chair being pushed by a young nurse. The doctor pointed down the hall.  
  
"Go all the way down and turn right and then right again, I believe," he directed. Tai nodded and began to walk briskly. "Oh, if you want something quicker to get to, the stairs are right here," the doctor said, pointing to a door with a "stairs" sign on it. Tai nodded.  
  
"Thank you, sir," he said quietly as he ran to the door. The doctor began walking again. Tai opened the door and saw that there were two flights of stairs between each floor. Tai figured he had eight flights of stairs to go. "One... two... three..." he counted to himself. He got to the fourth and was relieved to see the door said "FLOOR THREE" on it. "I never was good at math," he whispered to himself, but quickly pushed his thoughts away. "I'm coming, Sora," he whispered over and over again. He opened the door to see an endless row of doors on his right and left. He saw the nearest patient door to him and looked at the number. 386. "Damn!" He was on the far side of the floor. Tai made his feet pick up speed as he rushed through the corridor. The nurses and patients all looked at him nervously, but said nothing. Tai watched the numbers whiz by. 365... 357... 321.... 315.... 309... 303.... He was almost there. 301. Tai was standing outside her door. It was closed, like many of the others, but this one seemed to have an intimidating air around it. "Quit being a wuss, Tai. You love her," he privately consoled. He took a deep breath and put his hand on the door knob. Gathering all his will, he twisted the knob and stepped inside.  
**********************  
"Come on, Davis! You're slowing us all down," Cody told him. They were walking to the hospital rather than running for fear that they'd all not make it from exhaustion. Davis was frequently stopping, complaining of his feet hurting.  
  
"My feet, hurt, Cody. Give me a break. I'm not a machine," he retorted childishly. Yolei and Kari looked at each other.  
  
"No, you're just stupid," Kari whispered to Yolei, making her laugh. Davis fumed, but quickly got over it.   
  
"C'mon, Davis. We don't know what Tai will do to himself," T.K. urged. Davis sighed.  
  
"Whatever, T.A.. I don't see why we're going anyway. It's not like we can stop him from doing something." Joe, Matt, and Izzy all looked at each other.  
  
"I hate to admit he does have a point," Izzy said, trying to point out the logical side, even if he didn't like it. Joe nodded.  
  
"But we can help to stop it. You know, maybe we could persuade him," he offered. Matt shook his head.  
  
"When Tai is bent on something, you can't make him change that easily," he contradicted. Kari sighed.  
  
"He is strong. He's stronger than any of us," she said, bowing her head. T.K. immediately put a hand on her shoulder in comfort, making Davis squirm with envy.  
  
"Don't worry, Kari. Tai will be alright. Like you said, he's strong. He'll make it," he consoled. Kari lifted her head and smiled.   
  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she shouted as a battle cry and they all headed off toward the Odaiba Medical Center.  
**********************  
"Oh my God...." Tai whispered when he saw her. Sora was sleeping soundly, but her breathing was steady. She was hooked up to two IVs. One was blood and the other was something clear. There was a heart monitor on one side of the bed. Ms. Takenouchi was sitting by her daughter in silence. Sora's beautiful hands were wrapped up in bandages, which showed fresh blood coming through. "Sora," he whispered. He came a step closer when he heard a low sound that sounded like a growl.  
  
"Stay away from her," Sora's mother whispered. Tai stood his ground.  
  
"Never. I love her," he said. Ms. Takenouchi got up with a slow movement and walked two steps closer to Tai.  
  
"No, you don't. You're the cause of this. Because of you, I may never hear my baby talk again. What have you done? GET OUT!" she screamed. Tai almost stepped back out of fear, but stepped forward out of courage and a certain love for Sora.  
  
"No, I won't. I love her." Ms. Takenouchi stepped forward as if accepting the challenge.  
  
"No. I won't let my daughter be around such a bad influence. You changed my daughter. You cause her pain.  
You-"  
  
"I did nothing like that and you know it. You cause her pain, not me. You didn't stop her father, but I'll stop you," he whispered in a deathly tone. Sora's mother seemed shocked.  
  
"Leave her father out of this!" Tai smiled slightly, knowing he had hit something that ran deep.  
  
"I will not. She's the one who is suffering, and you just stand by like nothing has gone wrong before. She loves you, but you don't want to listen to her or express any concern or anything. What kind of mother are you?" he scolded. Sora's mother suddenly began to cry. She pushed her way passed Tai, opened the door behind him, and rushed out into the hall to who-knew-where. Tai walked closer to Sora's bed.  
  
"So this is what angels look like when they're sleeping," he whispered to himself with a smile, but it quickly became saddened. "I have to admit, Sora. I thought that I would have seen you sleeping in my arms, not in a hospital bed. You're still just as beautiful, though," he whispered to her. He took off his school uniform jacket and threw it in a chair on the far side of the room. He leaned on the safety rails that were up around her bed. Apparently, they had just rolled her in this room or the rails would have been down. Tai carefully reached out and brushed Sora's red hair from her face. He couldn't help but rest his hand on her forehead, just to touch her. He carefully took her wounded hands and looked at them. They were beginning to get a deeper crimson color to them, as if the wounds were still bleeding. Just then, a doctor burst in the door. "Um, Doctor? How is she? Is she going to make it?" Tai asked, putting her hand down gently. The doctor looked at him suspiciously. It was the same one that had given him directions earlier. Tai glanced at his name tag. It read Doctor Louis Kessler.   
  
"Are you family? I can only give that kind of information out to a family member." Tai thought quickly. He couldn't say that they were best friends. What could he say? He said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"She's my wife," he said, and then tried not to show his anger at himself for lying so. The doctor's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Your wife? Aren't you two a little young? It says here that she's seventeen and single," he said, looking down at a chart and then back up to the now sweating Tai.  
  
"Yes, we got married a month ago," he whispered. The doctor smirked.  
  
"Not making her too happy, are you?" he jeered. Tai frowned.  
  
"We've had a rocky start, but this has nothing to do with that. How is she?" he asked. The doctor shook his head and took a pen out of his breast pocket.  
  
"Not until I know your name for future reference." Tai sighed in frustration. This lie was getting deeper and deeper.  
  
"Tai Kamiya. That's K-A-M-I-Y-A." The doctor scribbled it down and then put it back into his pocket.  
  
"Okay, now that that's settled, she's not doing too well, Mr. Kamiya. She seems to have cut a major vein, which may have been her purpose. To make matters worse, she has a low platelet count in her blood, so that's why we're giving her a platelet saturated blood transfusion."  
  
"What about her wrists? They're still bleeding," he said pointing to the blood soaked bandages.  
  
"That's a problem. We can't seem to get the bleeding stopped, and the loss of blood is making her very tired. She needs to stay awake, but the only pills that we have in stock for that counteract the platelet transfusion, so she may be asleep for a while." Tai looked to his make-believe wife and back to the cocky doctor.  
  
"Thank you, sir," he whispered halfheartedly. The doctor came around to Tai's side of the bed and began to check the blood bag that hung on a long metal pole.  
  
"Let me check this and then you two can be alone. Excuse me," he said, reaching for the bag. He looked at it, made a few marks on his chart, and left. The room was Tai and Sora's again.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Kamiya. Wait until you hear that one, kid. Wake up, Sora. I want to talk with you. I'd sing to you, but I don't want you to have nightmares when you go back to sleep. Besides, you'd wake up screaming. You always said I sounded like a duck, remember?" he whispered, laughing quietly. He drew up a stool that he saw in the corner of the room and sat down. Tai gently stroked Sora's pale arm. "God, don't let her leave me." Tai began to cry silently. Suddenly, the door burst open and in flew Joe, Matt, Izzy, Yolei, Davis, Cody, T.K. and Kari.  
  
"Hey, Tai. We would have been here sooner except for-"  
  
"Yes, me. We know, we know," Davis said, interrupting T.K. Tai laughed.  
  
"That's okay," he said. Joe and the others looked at him quizzically. They could see the traces of tears on his face and how sad he looked.  
  
"Are you okay, Tai?" Matt asked. Tai sighed and told them everything that Doctor Kessler had said.  
  
".... So, no, I'm not okay," Tai finished with a heavy heart. Joe seemed confused.  
  
"How did you get him to tell you that? They have a policy that you have to be family," he pointed out. Tai sighed and then laughed lightly.  
  
"I told him that she was my wife," he said, still laughing a little. Everyone looked at him suspiciously.   
  
"Your wife? How romantic! I wish I had a boyfriend like that. Wow," Yolei said dreamily. Cody elbowed her sharply.  
  
"Shhh, Yolei," he scolded.  
  
  
"I'm not her boyfriend yet, but I care too much about her to just sit in the dark," he explained. Everyone nodded in agreement.   
They all stayed for another hour or two, but slowly began to go home. Soon, it was only TK, Kari, Matt, and Joe left. Izzy went home to see if he could find anything for him to help. Joe and Matt finally said their goodbyes and left. T.K. kissed Kari goodbye and left soon afterwards. Tai watched the clock over Sora's bed tick by slowly. Kari stood beside him.  
  
"I'm going to go home, Tai. You need anything? Since you are her husband, you can stay overnight," Kari said with a smirk. Tai smirked back, but only out of sarcasm.  
  
"Stay a little bit longer. Maybe she'll come out of it," he said, glancing from Sora's sleeping body to Kari.  
  
"Just a little bit, but it's almost time for supper," she said. Tai nodded.  
  
"I know, but just hold on." Kari nodded hesitantly. Suddenly, the door burst open again and there was Sora's mother.  
  
"What do you want?" Tai asked rudely. Ms. Takenouchi looked him suspiciously.  
  
"I should ask you the same question."  
  
"You know why I'm here. I care about her. I don't know about you, though," Tai shot back. Ms. Takenouchi growled but then regained her composure while walking toward her daughter.  
  
"I know you can't hear me, but it's worth a try. I can't spend the night here because I have to take care of the flower shop, but I'll see you as soon as I can. And don't worry. I called your dad and he'll be here soon," she whispered. Tai's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Whom did you say?"  
  
"Her father, you idiot," she whispered. Tai looked shocked.  
  
"No, you can't call him! He made her life miserable in the first place!" he yelled. Her mother cringed.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it. He's on his way and he'll be here tonight. I suggest you leave before he gets here," she said, putting her hand up to Tai to silence him. Ms. Takenouchi bent down and kissed her daughter's forehead and left. There was a disturbing silence as Tai just stared at Sora with eyes that said I'm sorry. All that could be heard was the steady beep of the heart monitor and Tai, Kari, and Sora's breathing. Kari couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"I'm going home, Tai. Do you need anything?" she asked. Tai nodded.  
  
"I need my clothes for tonight and tomorrow."  
  
"You need to tell Mom and Dad first."  
  
"I don't care. Just bring me the clothes after supper."  
  
"Yeah, okay. But why? Sora's mom said her dad was coming."  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's why I have to stay. He'll do something really bad to her, and I'm not going to let him do it. He will not touch her without killing me first."  
**********************************   
"Here, Tai. I came as soon as I could. Mom and Dad aren't happy with you at all, you know. They said that they'll ground you for a long, long time," Kari said as she rushed in the hospital room for the second time that day. She threw Tai's backpack with his clothes in it to him. "I gave you some time so they wouldn't come to the hospital. I didn't tell them what hospital she was in." Tai nodded.  
  
"Thanks, Kari. I owe you one," he said. He stared at Sora. She hadn't moved since he had gotten there. Her chest rose and sank steadily, but there was this sinking feeling in Tai's chest that it may just sink and not come back up. Kari saw how said he was and tried to compensate.  
  
"She'll be okay, Tai. She's stronger than you think she is. She always a strong one in the group," Kari consoled. Tai smiled at her.   
  
"God, I hope so," he whispered. Kari waved hesitantly waved goodbye to him and walked out the door to go back home. Tai glanced at his disappearing sister and then back to Sora. Her hair was back in her eyes. That meant that she had moved at one time or another.  
  
"Come on, Sora. Wake up," he whispered to her. He wanted to shake her, maybe get her up, but he knew that he would just make the situation worse. He sighed and looked around him. There was a mirror behind a sink on one side of the room. There was a chair that could be transformed into a bed on the other. Tai and Sora were in the middle of the room. There was a TV on a stand in the far corner of the room. Tai made no attempt to turn it on, though he knew exactly what he'd turn to. MTV, he and Sora's favorite channel. That brought back memories of when they were younger and watched TV and listened to music all the time. Tai smiled. "Hey, you remember that CD that you like so well? You know, that Matchbox Twenty CD that you always listen to at my house? Wasn't it like Mad Season or something like that? You can have it when you wake up, if you want. I can't think of anybody else that I'd rather let have it." His smile faded. "You've got to wake up first. Come on, Sora. Don't die on me. I need you more than ever right now." Just then a song popped into his head.  
  
"If I fall along the way, pick me up and dust me off. And if I get too tired to make it, be my breath so I can walk. If I need some other love then give me more than I can stand. If my smile gets old and faded, wait around I'll smile again," he sang to her. Tai never actually sang like a duck. Sora had always told him that because she was jealous of the comforting tone his singing voice brought. His voice seemed to have a calming effect that she had always loved, but never let on to doing so. "Shouldn't be so complicated, just hold me and then." That's when Tai started to cry again. "Just hold me... again," he whispered through tears. He started to cry hysterically now. His tears seemed like they would never stop. His sobs began to get deeper as the combined force of what Sora had said to him the night before and what was happening now clashed in his mind. It was all so overwhelming. He kept thinking of the different ways to kill himself. He felt like he couldn't take it anymore. He loved her and nothing could stop that. Tai remembered vaguely when they had flew together. How he could feel her soul become intertwined with his in a daze of passion. And then the second kiss, in which Sora had the wings of an angel. Tai began to cry harder when he realized that that could be the last time they would share such a moment. Then there were the few times that they could hear, see, and feel everything around them. Tai's sobbing began to get so bad that his body began to tremble.   
  
"You didn't finish the song, Tai," a voice whispered. Tai looked up sharply, his crying stopping immediately.  
  
"Sora? Are you awake?" he asked eagerly. Sora opened her eyes lazily.  
  
"Well, that voice of yours woke me up. You could wake up the dead with a voice like that," she said sarcastically.   
  
"Thank you, God! I thought I'd never talk to you again! God, I love you! Are you alright? Can I get you anything?" he asked, still ecstatic.  
  
"Calm down, Tai. I'm fine. Come here," she said. Tai bent down close to her face. "I can't hold you, but I can kiss you," she whispered. Tai smiled widely.  
  
"That's good enough for me," he whispered back. He leaned down closer and kissed her gently. They weren't whisked away into the world of their making this time. This time, they just kissed, and the feelings they felt were unparalleled by any other. Words cannot describe what Tai and Sora felt as they seemed to melt together. Sora broke the kiss, much to Tai's dismay. "Don't tell me you're going to run from me again," he whispered worriedly.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," she whispered. Tai smile grew brighter.   
  
"I love you and I always will," he said, touching his nose to hers. She giggled suddenly at the warm feeling he brought to her.  
  
"I love you, too, Tai. This time, I won't run. I mean it. I do love you," she whispered. Tai felt a sudden void that he hadn't known was in his soul being filled up. That's all he needed. He needed her. He could live without food and water for days, but he realized that without her, he would die in seconds. He gently kissed her cheek and her forehead and sat back down on the stool.   
  
"So, will you go out with me? I mean, you should since you're already married to me," he said, grinning wildly. Sora pushed a button on the rail that made the top of the bed fold up. When she had it in position, she was sitting straight up.  
  
"Married to you? Aren't you moving a little too fast?" Tai laughed.  
  
"Well, to find out what was wrong with you, I had to say I was family. The first thing that came out of my mouth was I was your husband. See, it takes a real man to lie like that," he said. Sora laughed.  
  
"Sure it does. Well, I guess I will go out with you. Sora Kamiya. That has a nice ring to it. Though Sora Kido or Sora Ishida, something to that effect sounds a little better," she said menacingly. Tai just grinned that cockeyed grin of his.  
  
"Yeah right. If you're looking for husband material though, you've got me," he said proudly. Sora just rolled her eyes melodramatically.  
  
"Yeah, if I wanted someone who sounded like a duck when he sings and practiced soccer in his khakis and went outside in cold weather with no shirt on, you'd be first on my list. But if I wanted a doctor or a rock and roll star I could go for-"  
  
"Don't start, Sora. You just woke up. I don't want to have to knock you back out," he threatened playfully. He and Sora laughed.  
  
"So, what did the doctor say?" she asked. Tai told her everything that the doctor had said, including his rude comments.  
  
"I think you'll be okay, though. Look. The blood in the bag is almost gone. You should feel a lot better pretty soon," he said. Sora nodded.  
  
"I hope so," she said, turning to Tai with a smile. He smiled back.  
  
"Um, Sora? I've got some bad news," Tai said. Sora looked at him quizzically.  
  
"What is it?" she asked. Tai sighed heavily.  
  
"Your mother called... your mom called your dad today. She said he'd be here tonight," he said grimly. Sora's face went from happiness to the purest animosity.  
  
"My father?" Tai nodded. Sora's face went blank. Suddenly, she started to cry. She was silent, but her tears seem to scream at Tai.  
  
"Don't cry, Sora. That's why I'm staying overnight and everything. I'm going to make sure he doesn't touch you," he consoled. He put down the guard rail that was on his side and sat on the bed with his back against the bed right beside Sora. "Don't cry," he whispered again and put her head against his shoulder and hugged her tightly. Suddenly, she burst out into tears, making his shirt soaking wet. He didn't mind, however. He was going to be there for her no matter what. "Shhhh. Don't cry. You'll be alright. I'm going to protect you." She still cried with Tai's consoling words. He tried to think of what else he could say. Then it hit him.   
  
"I wish I'd seen you as a little girl, without your armor to fend off the world. I would have kept you underneath my wing. I would protect you from everything.   
  
"Make way for the lemon parade. Make way for my girl. Make way for the lemon parade, Make way for my girl.   
  
"Did the boys all tease you when they had the chance? Always left standing when it came time to dance. Did you hide behind your books, girl? Did you find your secret friends? Always I'll want you. Always till the end.  
  
"Make way for the lemon parade. Make way for my girl. Make way for the lemon parade. Make way for my girl. Make way for my girl," Tai sang softly. Sora had stopped crying. She kissed his neck gently, making him shudder lightly in ecstacy.  
  
"Sing another one, Tai," she whispered. He nodded and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"It's the way he looks at you that says to me this isn't over. From the outside looking in, you see there's nothing sacred here. Nothing sacred. You can bend, but you can't break. For the reasons out of our control, you try to make it roll like a dice away. But you say that you're all empowered here. This is obviously not clear enough to me. You can bend but you can't break. Hey, little girl keep dancing. Keep dancing alone, 'cause there's not enough time in your day to keep you here. The soldier's daughter. Did your daddy, did your daddy hurt you? Did he make you feel bad? Did he poison your views with the water he was raised on.? Oh your father's son says hang on. Hang on. Hey little girl keep dancing. Hey little girl keep dancing alone. 'Cause there's not enough time in your life to stay here. So over the hills he'd climb. Just to see her there in time. Just to watch the sun shine to through her dress. The sweet soldier's daughter. The sweet soldier's daughter." Tai had picked this particular one because it reminded him of the way her dad used to treat her. When he stopped, he realized that Sora had fallen asleep to the sound of his voice. He smiled. The feeling of her head on his shoulder would be understated if described by words. He put his head on top of hers and fell asleep soon afterwards.  
*******************************  
"Mr. Kamiya? Mr. Kamiya?" a voice said. Tai woke up suddenly. He saw to his surprise that Sora was still asleep. She had always told him that she was a light sleeper. He looked around the room to see Dr. Kessler standing on one side of the bed.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you, but your wife's bandages need to be changed," the doctor told Tai. He nodded and got off the bed.  
  
"Does she need to be awake?" Tai asked. Doctor Kessler shook his head.  
  
"No, she'll be alright." The doctor took her left hand gently and started to unravel the bloody bandages. The doctor seemed surprised.   
  
"What's wrong with her?" Tai asked suddenly, wanting to know what the doctor found so interesting.  
  
"Well, actually, I can't see that anything is," Dr. Kessler said. Tai's eyes narrowed.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked eagerly. The doctor gently turned Sora's wrist in Tai's direction. All that Tai could see was a light scar where the cut had been. Tai smiled and laughed.  
  
"Let me check the other wrist. If you don't mind me saying so, Mr. Kamiya, but I think your wife was rescued by the pure will of God," Dr. Kessler said, still marveling at how quickly Sora's wounds had healed. Tai smiled at the doctor.  
  
"Yes, God helped us out a lot, but I think something else did, too," he said. Dr. Kessler didn't look at Tai this time. He was too busy trying to unravel the other bandage.  
  
"Well, I'll be. It's healed, too. Wow, it looks like she's ready to go home, Mr. Kamiya, but I do think we should keep her overnight. I'll give you some medication I want her to take.... Wow," the doctor said in pure amazement. Tai could see that the wound that had obviously been bleeding was completely healed. Dr. Kessler left the room, still shaking his head in disbelief. Tai leaned down on the bed and kissed Sora's hand. She woke up at his sudden touch. Tai was amazed with this since the doctor had done something more harsh with her hands than Tai had, but she woke up only to Tai's touch.  
  
"Hey, beautiful. I think you're quite the miracle today," Tai said with a bright smile. Sora reached up to rub her eyes.  
  
"What are you talk- where are the bandages, Tai? Where's the blood?" she asked, turning her hands over in front of her eyes. Tai laughed.  
  
"You don't need them anymore. Dr. Kessler took off your bandages and there were only scars there, no cuts, no nothing." Sora looked at him.  
  
"Wow. Do I get to go home?" she asked. Tai frowned slightly.  
  
"No, not yet. They want to keep you overnight to make sure nothing happens and to make sure the blood transfusion went alright and stuff, I guess," he told her softly. Sora nodded.  
  
"Are they going to give me anything?" she asked. Tai nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't know what they'll give you. You're just really tired. I don't think there's anything else wrong with you," he said. Sora bowed her head immediately.  
  
"It's probably for depression, Tai," she whispered. Tai felt like he had been hit by a brick. He didn't know how he could be so stupid, but he didn't see how Sora could be so down, either.  
  
"You don't need the medicine, Sora. You have me, remember? I love you and I mean it. You don't need the medication and you know it," he said sternly. Sora shook her head.  
  
"I don't know if it's that simple, Tai," she said, finally looking up to Tai to revealed tear stained cheeks. "I've taken it before. It's no big deal." Tai was shocked.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Sora shook her head.  
  
"I guess I thought you wouldn't understand," she replied. Tai was fixing to say something when the hospital room door burst open. Sora gasped.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
There was an awkward silence. Tai just stared at the man that had just entered the room who he knew was Mr. Takenouchi. The man was an easy 6' 4", maybe even taller. He had a very strong build. The shirt he wore revealed that. Tai gulped as he realized that if he was going to protect Sora, it would have to be with more brains than brawn. The man stepped closer into the lighted part of the room. The night outside had made it almost pitch black except where the poor lighting shone down. The man's red hair and gleaming crimson eyes seemed to scream his relation to Sora, but his eyes were different. It was if the red in his eyes wasn't from heredity but something much more evil. Like hate or something. He had a beard that covered his chin and connected to his sideburns. His mustache covered his top lip in red hair. It was a little gray on the bottom, but it faded into brown and finally into red.   
  
"Your mother called me, Sora," her father said in a deep voice. He made Tai sound like a prepubescent kid. Sora gulped audibly.  
  
"Yes, Tai told me she did," she choked out. Her tears were beginning to tumble down her cheeks. She tried to brush them away with a trembling hand, but her father had already seen them. He stepped closer with a hand raised behind his head. Sora shrank back in the hospital bed. Tai sped around to the other side of the bed and stood in his way.  
  
"Move, boy. She knows not to cry when Daddy's here," Mr. Takenouchi growled. Tai stood his ground.  
  
"No, I won't let you hurt her. She's my girl," he growled ferociously. The man just stared at the boy with menacing eyes.  
  
"She's mine, Tai. I can do whatever the hell I want with her. I can beat her, I can fuck her, and I can kill her if I wanted to," Mr. Takenouchi whispered in a deathly tone. Sora began to get out of bed. She wasn't going to stand by and listen to this. Her father had no right to talk about her like that, but a certain fear kept her from moving quickly. Her feet hit the ground, but she was so weak that they buckled beneath her. Tai was becoming enraged.  
  
"You perverted bastard. You're a fucking perverted bastard. She's not yours anymore. She's mine. She's my girl, and you can't ever have her," Tai said, seemingly trying to taunt the huge man. Sora's father drew back a fist and connected it with Tai's stomach. Tai felt what seemed like his intestines rearranging in his abdomen. He hit the floor with devastating force. He lay on the ground clutching his stomach and grimacing at the pain in his shoulder. Meanwhile, Mr. Takenouchi was going for Sora.  
  
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Sora? You're older now. I think you might be able to enjoy it, now," the man whispered. Sora cringed at the thought of him touching her again. Her father hadn't raped her before, but she had a feeling that he would this time. She looked at Tai getting up to go to her, who was obviously in pain. He had stood up for her, and she didn't want in to be in vain, but what could she do? Her father reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the ground and close to him. Sora struggled against her father's strong grip in vain. Tai looked on, horrified. "Hey, Tai. I don't blame you for wanting her. She is pretty good," the sick and demented Mr. Takenouchi said. He held Sora's back to him and put his face next to hers. "Don't struggle, baby. This won't hurt a bit, unless you keep trying to get away," he said. He suddenly stuck out his tongue and licked the side of Sora's face. Sora shuddered violently, repulsed his act. Her father began to run his hands down her sides, releasing the grip on her arms. Sora saw her chance and elbowed him right where she knew it would cripple him. He doubled over instantly in pain, but now without throwing her to the ground. She moaned painfully as she hit the floor with almost the same force Tai had. "You bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you fucking bitch!" Tai grimaced at the pain as he ran to Sora's side.  
  
"Don't worry, Sora. God, I can't believe that I let him get to you! I'm trying, Sora. I'm really trying. Let's get out of here," he whispered as he cradled her in his arms, shuddering lightly at the sharp pain in his shoulder and the sharp throb of the now forming-bruise on his stomach. He began to hobble as fast he could. He had to hold on to Sora tightly because she was so weak she could hold on tightly. He finally managed to open the hospital door and ran out with nurses and doctors looking at them suspiciously. Sora's father had finally managed to get up and walk out the door with difficulty. He saw Dr. Kessler yelling down the hall.  
  
"Come back here! MR. KAMIYA!" Mr. Takenouchi saw his chance to be clever and jumped at it.  
  
"Doctor! Where did those kids go? That boy's kidnaped my daughter. I've got to stop him before he kills her!" he cried melodramatically. The doctor seemed concerned, but didn't realize what was going on.   
  
"They went down this hall and I saw them turn left. Hurry! You may can still catch them!" Dr. Kessler shouted. Sora's neurotic father grinned wildly.  
  
"Oh, they won't get away," he whispered as he began running as fast as his long legs would carry him.   
*************************  
Tai wasn't sure what to do. There was the elevator, but then there were the stairs. The stairs would be harder, but the elevator told what floor the passengers were on. "Come on, Sora! Which one should we take?" he asked frantically. Sora shook her head weakly.   
  
"I don't know. I'm so..dizzy," she whispered. Tai cradled her head closer to his chest. She was folded up almost as far as she could go. He wouldn't be surprised if she fainted, but it wouldn't have been the best timing.   
  
"SORA! DADDY'S COMING!" a voice sounded down the hall. Tai gasped.  
  
"We're doing the stairs," he said quickly and bounded off farther down the hall, running as gracefully as he could for Sora. If her father caught them, they'd both be dead.   
  
"SORA! I'M COMING!" the voice sounded again, but it was closer. Tai kicked up his speed another gear and zoomed down the hall. He finally saw the door that led to the stairway. The pounding of her father's footsteps sounded louder than ever before. Tai managed to get the stairway door open and stepped inside. Up or down? He wasn't sure, but his heart told him to go up. Tai rushed up the staircase with the pale Sora in his arms like a knight in shining armor carrying his fair lady to safety, but certainly this wasn't the safe way. Tai and Sora would have been easy targets either way they went. It was hard choosing which way you wanted to die.  
  
"Hang on, Sora! We're almost to the top!" Tai panted. He planned on going as far as the staircase would let him and then taking the elevator back down, maybe giving them a chance to lose the deranged father that was chasing them.   
  
"Anything for you, Tai," Sora whispered with a faint smile on her lips. Tai looked down at her briefly, trying to push himself beyond his limit. He had said that he was going to protect her. He had failed her once, and he didn't plan on doing it again. They were passing the sixth floor sign now, but the sounds of pounding footsteps were getting louder. "Tai! He's right behind us," Sora choked out. She was as pale as a ghost now and really weak. Tai doubted that she would be able to talk much longer.  
  
"Hang on, Sora. We're stepping it up another notch," Tai warned as he began to run faster. They were passing the eighth floor now. Tai wondered how many floors there were in Odaiba Medical.   
  
"I'M COMING, SORA! DON'T WORRY! DADDY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!" the psychopath called from behind them. Tai began running faster, but almost fell, making him slow down. Sora's father was apparently not only well built but had a lot of stamina, too. Tai shuddered at the thought of Mr. Takenouchi catching them. He would probably have his way with Sora first, which really bothered Tai. Finally, there was a sign that said HOSPITAL ROOF: EMPLOYEES ONLY and a "hazard" sign on it. Tai didn't care. He was going to try to get rid of this creep once and for all. Tai opened the door and saw there were three steps leading up to another door. Tai was tired of steps, but this was a weird occasion. He tried to make Sora into a smaller ball in his arms so she would fit through the door without any hesitation. He opened the door with a partially free hand and ran outside. Mr. Takenouchi ran up the steps right behind Tai and closed the door behind him. Tai's heart skipped a beat for the second time that day. The Crest of Courage seemed to be no match for the threat that lurked ahead. It was a considerably cold night. Tai could see fairly well because of the lights from nearby buildings and the full moon that shone down like a beacon.   
  
"Hang on, Sora," Tai whispered as he put her down gently. Sora's father took a step toward Tai, but his eyes fell to Sora on the ground. "She's mine, you bastard. You can't have her," Tai warned. The huge man just glanced at Tai, but then his hungry eyes fell back on Sora's helpless body. Tai stepped in between Mr. Takenouchi and Sora. "No. You can't have her." Her father just stared at Sora. Her hospital gown got caught in a sudden breeze, making it fly up a little, not much, but enough to make Sora's father approach faster. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Tai screamed as a battle cry as he charged with his head lowered. Mr. Takenouchi just lowered his shoulder, making Tai slam his head into pure bone. Tai cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. Sora's father didn't take time to look at Tai twice. He just lurked toward Sora. Sora made an attempt to move away, but she was still weak from the blood transfusion. Her pale face was amplified by the moonlight shining on her face. Tai thought she looked so beautiful. He couldn't let someone like her father kill her. Tai got up from the ground and charged silently, hitting the big man square in the ribs. He had caught Sora's father by surprise and had sent him staggering. Tai ran to Sora, realizing that it was too dangerous to lay her on the ground, but where else would he go? Mr. Takenouchi would definitely catch them if they headed back. Tai looked around him nervously. All he saw was the edge of the roof. "What do I do, Sora? I don't know what to do!" Tai screamed out in frustration. Sora opened her eyes to look at him and smiled weakly. She reached out an arm and pointed to Tai's chest. "What about my chest? You mean... my heart," he whispered. Sora nodded. Her crimson eyes stared at him intently. Her red hair dangled around her face in a beautiful frame. Tai watched her chest heave in and out slowly. Sora looked at him with kind eyes. His hair was a mess, as usual, but as always, she loved it that way. His brown eyes seemed to proclaim how deep his love ran for her, and she knew that her father wouldn't touch her. She knew that Tai would die before he let anything get to her, especially her own father. She tried to reach up to caress his face, but she was too weak and her hand fell to her side. She felt his tan hand run over her face lovingly. There was the sound of her father regaining his step.   
  
"Follow your heart, Tai. I trust you," she whispered. Right now, that meant more to Tai than anything. He put his arms under her and picked her up. He turned to face her crazy father and then turned to the edge of the building.   
  
"If you come here, Daddy might not hurt you," the big man growled. Tai just walked toward the edge of the building. Sora's father seemed to be confused. "What are you doing? You can't get away from me." Tai just kept walking. Sora hung on as best she could, though she knew Tai wouldn't let her go. Her father was walking after them, but Tai knew he wasn't going to get there soon enough to stop him if he didn't run. Tai stepped up onto the wall that separated him from the ground below. "You can't jump!" Mr. Takenouchi cried, but Tai calmly turned around and smiled.  
  
"Watch me," he said menacingly. Sora just looked up at him. He looked down at her beautiful and calm features and smiled. "Don't be afraid, Sora. We'll be okay. Just remember, I'll always love you alright?" Sora nodded as Tai switched her to a position where her head could lay on his shoulder, but he could still cradle her in his arms. She put her mouth next to his ear.  
  
"I love you, Taichi. Don't drop me," she whispered. Tai shook his head.  
  
"Never," he whispered as he stepped off the side of the building with Sora's father looking on. They had been nine stories up. No normal person would have been able to make that kind of jump without some kind of safety, but their precaution, but Sora and Tai were no longer ordinary people. Tai was becoming afraid as he watched the ground quickly approaching. Sora sensed it, and, remembering that he had tried to calm her fears when they had first kissed, brought his head to hers in a kiss, knowing that it served a deeper service than pleasure. That is when the great transformation began.   
  
Tai felt some kind of power flow through him. His shoulder blades felt like they were widening. He broke the kiss suddenly and tightened his grip on Sora. He screamed out in pain as he felt skin ripping and blood flowing from open wounds on his back. The cold air sent chills up his spine, causing a chain reaction of violent shaking through his whole body. Still, he refused to release his grip on Sora. He had said it before and he meant it- Sora was his girl. He had made the promise not to drop her, and he meant to keep it. He felt his shirt rip to threads. He looked down at Sora and saw that she was glowing a yellow color. The light that she was emitting slowly faded into a red color, which could only be described as the color of Love. Sora's weakness was being pushed away and she could feel her body being rejuvenated to its healthy state. She looked at Tai and stared at him in wonder. He was still grimacing in pain, his teeth clenched and his eyes shut. He was on the verge of screaming the whole time. There was sudden noise that sounded like someone opening an umbrella quickly. Then Sora saw what Tai could not. Tai didn't understand what was happening to him. All he knew was that Sora's kiss had brought him a lot of backbreaking pain.   
  
Sora saw Tai's wings.  
  
They were broad, just like his shoulders, and they made at least a ten-foot wing span. They were white on the outside, just like in the pictures of angels, but the inside of the wings was a different story. They were a realistic painting of the night. The stars were shining brightly on the inside. If you couldn't have seen the sliver of white around the edges, you could have sworn that Tai's wings were just a part of the sky. Sora tried to touch the inside of Tai's wings, but found her hand went all the way through. Then it dawned on her. The inside of Tai's wings was a portal to the world they had created together. Tai's rapidly increasing heartbeat snapped Sora out of her thought. She would tell Tai about his wings later. A shrieking crowd that had gathered below watched as the two teenagers seemed to hang in the air. Teenagers, however, is an inaccurate term. Inside, they were more adult-like than some people would ever be. The glow that Sora was emitting just grew brighter as Tai realized what had happened by seeing the tips of his wings. He began to flap them slowly, trying to get him and Sora on the ground safely. Sora and Tai's eyes met in a fiery gaze that seemed to never end. Tai was now a shirtless seventeen year old boy mutant that had wings. Sora was a seventeen year old girl that was glowing like a light bulb and had already tried to commit suicide. When they were looking into each other's eyes, they realized that there was so much more to themselves and life itself. Tai finally got them to the ground. He landed softly, turning Sora to where she could stand on her feet. Sora stood tall and looked around her. There, a crowd had gathered to watch the amazing feat that the young man and woman had done. Sora turned back to Tai.  
  
"You didn't drop me," she whispered, suddenly shivering from the cold. Tai stared at her solemnly.  
  
  
"I told you I wouldn't," he said, wrapping his wings around her in an attempt to keep warm. He wrapped his hand around her and picked her up.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't. I love you, Taichi Kamiya," she said suddenly. She kissed his cheek. Tai put her down on the ground and looked at her.  
  
"And I love you, Sora Takenouchi," he whispered. Sora laughed. Tai seemed confused. "What's so funny, huh?" he asked in mock anger.  
  
"Well, I thought that I might want to be Sora Kamiya from now on... I mean, if that's okay with you, of course," she said. Tai smiled brightly.  
  
"I'd be glad to take you as my wife," he said proudly. Sora's thoughts began to fly at 100 miles an hour. She thought of all the things that they would do together as man and wife. There would definitely be children. Sora smiled at the thought of taking Tai's seed and passing it down through generations. The thought was enough to make her melt in happiness.   
  
Tai was thinking of the same thing, but from a different perspective. He would help her pass on her goodness through generations. He would adore her in so many ways. He would love her until eternity stopped and infinity took over, and beyond that. They would last beyond time.   
  
Tai met Sora's eyes and their gaze deepened. They could read each other's thoughts. This was what love was like. This was what being in love with the person of your dreams was like. If asked how it felt to be in love, Tai and Sora would have had the same answer.  
  
It's just like flying.  
  
The End  
  
I'm going to attempt to do what Logan does at the end of each fic and give my insight.  
  
We all try to take our revenge out   
on those we wish to hurt  
but what we fail to realize  
is how devastating what we do can be  
but something else we fail to realize  
is that not only can people recover with the help of others  
but how strong they can be   
with the love of someone behind them.  
Though a cut can take give us the illusion  
of peace in our souls  
it can't take away  
what has been done  
though it may be devastating to think about the past  
it's also devastating to throw away tomorrow  
we are restrained by our emotions and our morals   
but there's those few times  
that our emotions can send us to new heights  
they can let us fly  
  
  
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:  
  
I really did enjoy writing this. I don't believe that it even gives Logan's fics competition, but it does compete with other work I've done. I think HOW TO FLY PARTS 1-4 are going to be my last fics. Maybe not. It still depends on what kind of response I get, how I feel, and if my heart's into it. The first fanfic author that I actually fell in love with they write is Logan. He is a wonderful writer (I know he's going to try to tell me otherwise), and I thank him for helping me a little with these fics. If it wasn't for him, Kari, and a few other writers that I'm failing to recognize, I wouldn't have written this at all. Please review this fic. I'll only consider writing again if I get a lot of reviews. I'm not trying to be egotistic, it's just I need support if I'm ever going to write like this again. Any questions or comments, email me at dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com.   
  
Thank you to all my readers, and until the possible next time, goodbye.  
the writer 


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